礼服呢 (lǐ fú ne) — woolen cloth for formal clothing

Definition

礼服呢 is a specific type of woolen fabric used for tailoring formal wear such as suits and dresses. It refers to the cloth itself, not a garment (cf. 礼服 'formal dress').

noun
woolen cloth for formal clothing
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 礼服呢。
    Tā mǎi le yí kuài lǐ fú ne zuò xī zhuāng.
    He bought a piece of woolen cloth for formal clothing to make a suit.
  • 礼服呢。
    Zhè zhǒng lǐ fú ne hěn shì hé zuò lǐ fú.
    This kind of woolen cloth is very suitable for making formal wear.
  • 礼服呢。
    Dōng tiān chuān lǐ fú ne zuò de qún zi hěn bǎo nuǎn.
    In winter, wearing a skirt made of woolen cloth is very warm.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

礼服formal clothing
礼lǐceremony服fúclothing
偏正Modifier + head
呢newoolen cloth

礼服 and 呢 combine to name cloth used for formal clothing.

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 禮; 礼 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
礻Written in full as示shìaltar
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ禮lǐ
Same sound today

The traditional form 禮 pairs 礻 (altar) with 豊, a sound part, for performing rites at the altar; the simplified 礼 is a later shorthand.

Open 礼 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
凡凡fántray
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬝
𠬝𠬝服fú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 服, the part 𠬝 was the original picture for 'to subdue'; the added left part 凡, a tray, later changed shape.

Open 服 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
尼
尼ní呢ní
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

呢 combines 口 (mouth) with 尼 as its sound part.

Open 呢 →

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