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祷文 (dǎo wén) — prayer (written or recited text addressed to a deity)

Definition

noun
prayer (written or recited text addressed to a deity)

Examples

  • 祷文。
    Tā zài jiào táng lǐ lǎng dú le yì piān dǎo wén.
    He read a prayer aloud in the church.
  • 祷文。
    Zhè běn dǎo wén jí shōu lù le gè zhǒng zōng jiào de qí dǎo cí.
    This collection of prayers includes texts from various religions.
  • 祷文。
    Tā měi tiān zǎo chén dōu huì bèi sòng yí duàn dǎo wén.
    She recites a passage of prayer every morning.

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.

祷dǎoprayer
文wéntext

祷 refers to prayer, and 文 refers to a written text, together meaning a prayer text.

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 禱; 祷 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
示示shìaltar
Sound part声符shēngfú
壽
壽shòu禱dǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 禱 pairs 示, an altar, with 壽, which gives its sound; the simplified 祷 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the old sound part.

Open 祷 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The current form 文 shows a man with head, arms, legs, and chest; the tattoo marks on the chest are no longer drawn.

Open 文 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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