纸鹤 (zhǐ hè) — paper crane (origami)

Definition

noun
paper crane (origami)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 纸鹤。
    Tā zhé le yì zhī zhǐ hè sòng gěi wǒ.
    She folded a paper crane and gave it to me.
  • 纸鹤。
    zhǐ hè Zài rì běn shì hé píng de xiàng zhēng.
    The paper crane is a symbol of peace in Japan.
  • 纸鹤。
    Tā yòng le shí fēn zhōng zhé hǎo yì zhī zhǐ hè.
    He took ten minutes to fold a paper crane.

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
鹤hècrane

纸 (paper) and 鹤 (crane) combine to name the folded paper crane.

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 →

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 鶴; 鹤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鳥鳥niǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
寉
寉hè鶴hè
Same sound today

The traditional form 鶴 has 鳥, a bird, for the meaning and 寉 for the sound; the simplified 鹤 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 鹤 →

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