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笔直 (bǐ zhí) — straight as an arrow, perfectly straight

Definition

verb
straight as an arrowperfectly straight

Examples

  • 笔直，。
    Zhè tiáo gōng lù xiū dé bǐ zhí, yì yǎn wàng bú dào tóu.
    This highway was built perfectly straight; you can't see the end of it.
  • ，笔直。
    Tā zhàn zài nà lǐ, shēn tǐ tǐng dé bǐ zhí.
    He stood there with his body stretched perfectly straight.
  • 笔直，。
    Huà yì tiáo bǐ zhí de xiàn, bié huà wāi le.
    Draw a perfectly straight line — don't make it crooked.

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.

笔bǐpen
直zhístraight

笔 suggests a pen's straight line, and 直 gives the quality of straightness.

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 筆; 笔 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
聿
聿yù筆bǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The simplified 笔 is based on the traditional form 筆, which puts 竹 (bamboo) beside 聿 (writing brush). 聿 already meant the brush and supplied the sound; 竹 was added later to show it was made of bamboo.

Open 笔 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The earliest form of 直 pairs 目, an eye, with an unclear stroke 丨.

Open 直 →
Appears in
Shapes

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