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粪坑 (fèn kēng) — manure pit; cesspool

Definition

noun
manure pitcesspool
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 粪坑，。
    Zhè ge fèn kēng tài zāng le, xū yào mǎ shàng qīng lǐ.
    This cesspool is too dirty; it needs to be cleaned immediately.
  • 粪坑。
    Nóng mín bǎ dòng wù de fèn biàn dào jìn fèn kēng lǐ.
    The farmer pours animal manure into the pit.
  • 粪坑。
    Lǎo fáng zi hòu miàn de fèn kēng fā chū nán wén de qì wèi.
    The manure pit behind the old house emits a foul smell.

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.

粪fènmanure
坑kēngpit

粪 (manure) describes the kind of 坑 (pit), giving cesspool.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 糞; 粪 is its simplified writing.

  • 釆釆biàn
  • 𠦒𠦒𠦒
  • 廾廾gǒng

The traditional form 糞 is built from 釆, 𠦒, and 廾; the simplified 粪 is a later abbreviation.

Open 粪 →

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
土土tǔsoil
Sound part声符shēngfú
亢
亢kàng坑kēng(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The current form 坑 uses 土 (soil) for the meaning and 亢 for the sound.

Open 坑 →
Appears in
Agriculture & Farming

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