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砖头 (zhuān tou) — (colloquial) brick, often a fragment or broken piece

Definition

Colloquial term for 'brick,' often a fragment or single piece rather than masonry material. 砖 is the standard written word; 砖头 emphasizes the object itself, often broken or used as a tool (e.g., to smash).

noun
(colloquial) brickoften a fragment or broken piece
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 砖头。
    Dì shàng yǒu yí kuài zhuān tou.
    There is a brick on the ground.
  • 砖头。
    Tā yòng zhuān tou zá suì le bō li.
    He smashed the glass with a brick.
  • 砖头。
    Zhè kuài zhuān tou shì hóng sè de.
    This brick is red.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

砖zhuānbrick
头tóunoun suffix

砖 means brick, while 头 adds a colloquial sense of a piece or object.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 磚; 砖 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shírock
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān磚zhuān
Same sound today

The traditional form 磚 uses 石 (rock) for the meaning and 專 for the sound; the simplified 砖 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the original part.

Open 砖 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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