筑巢 (zhù cháo) — to build a nest | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A vivid, literally compositional verb-object phrase: 筑 ('to build') + 巢 ('nest'), used almost exclusively for birds (and by extension, other animals) constructing their home.

verb

to build a nest

Examples

。
Xiǎo niǎo zài shù shàng zhù le yí gè cháo.
The little bird built a nest in the tree.
，。
Chūn tiān lái le, niǎo r kāi shǐ zhù cháo.
Spring has come, and the birds start building nests.
。
Zhè zhī niǎo yòng shù zhī zhù cháo.
This bird builds its nest with twigs.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

筑巢 puts 筑, to build, together with 巢, the nest being built.

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 築; 筑 is its simplified writing.

筑木築

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

筑

筑zhù築zhù

Same sound today

The traditional form 築 pairs 木 (wood) with 筑, which gives the sound; the simplified 筑 is a later shorthand.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

巢 shows a baby bird in a nest on top of a tree.

Appears in

Animals & Mammals Birds

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