羊圈 (yáng juān) — sheepfold; sheep pen

Definition

noun

sheepfoldsheep pen

Measure word · 个

羊圈。
Nóng mín bǎ yáng dōu gǎn jìn le yáng juān.
The farmer drove all the sheep into the sheepfold.
羊圈。
Zhè ge yáng juān shì yòng mù tou hé tiě sī wǎng zuò de.
This sheepfold is made of wood and wire mesh.
羊圈。
Wǎn shàng yáng bì xū huí dào yáng juān lǐ guò yè.
At night the sheep must return to the pen to spend the night.

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.

羊 names the sheep, and 圈 names a pen, giving the idea of a sheep pen.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 羊 comes from a drawing of a ram's head.

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

囗卷圈

Meaning part形符xíngfú

囗囗wéi

Sound part声符shēngfú

卷

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

圈 is made of the outer 囗, an enclosure shape, and the inner 卷, which gives the sound.