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纸巾 (zhǐ jīn) — paper towel; napkin

Definition

Disposable paper tissue or napkin, used once and thrown away. Unlike 手帕 (handkerchief), it is not meant to be washed and reused.

noun
paper towelnapkin
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 纸巾。
    Wǒ xū yào yì xiē zhǐ jīn lái cā zhuō zi.
    I need some paper towels to wipe the table.
  • 纸巾，。
    Gěi wǒ yì zhāng zhǐ jīn, xiè xie.
    Give me a napkin, please.
  • 纸巾，。
    Zhè zhǒng zhǐ jīn hěn ruǎn, hěn hǎo yòng.
    This kind of paper towel is very soft and easy to use.

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.

纸zhǐpaper
巾jīntowel

纸 gives paper, and 巾 means a cloth or towel, together naming a paper towel.

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 紙; 纸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
氏
氏shì紙zhǐ
Same sound today

For 纸, the traditional form 紙 combines 糸 (silk) with 氏 (the sound part).

Open 纸 →

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

The form 巾 is a picture of a piece of cloth hanging down.

Open 巾 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4Everyday Objects

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