粪堆 (fèn duī) — dunghill; manure pile | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

dunghillmanure pile

Measure word · 个

粪堆。
Nóng mín zài tián biān duī le yí gè fèn duī.
The farmer piled up a dunghill at the edge of the field.
粪堆。
Zhè ge fèn duī kě yǐ yòng lái zuò féi liào.
This manure pile can be used as fertilizer.
。
Yuàn zi lǐ yǒu yí gè dà fèn duī.
There is a big dunghill in the yard.

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 means manure and 堆 means pile, giving a pile of manure.

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.

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

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

土隹堆

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

隹

隹zhuī堆duī

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

堆 is built from 土 (earth) and 隹, which supplies the sound.