纱线 (shā xiàn) — yarn | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

yarn

Examples

纱线。
Tā yòng shā xiàn zhī le yí jiàn piào liang de máo yī.
She used yarn to knit a beautiful sweater.
纱线，。
Zhè zhǒng shā xiàn de zhì liàng hěn hǎo, bù róng yì duàn.
This type of yarn is of good quality and not easy to break.
纱线。
Gōng chǎng cóng guó wài jìn kǒu le dà liàng de shā xiàn.
The factory imported a large amount of yarn from abroad.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

“纱” and “线” both refer to thread-like material, together meaning yarn.

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 紗; 纱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìthread

Sound part声符shēngfú

沙

沙shā紗shā

Same sound today

The traditional form 紗 uses 糸 to mark a thread-related meaning and 沙 for the sound. The modern simplified 纱 is a shortened form.

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

糹泉線

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糹Written in full as糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

泉

泉quán線xiàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

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