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老鼠 (lǎo shǔ) — rat, mouse

Definition

noun
ratmouse
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 老鼠。
    Chú fáng lǐ yǒu yì zhī lǎo shǔ zài zhǎo shí wù.
    There is a mouse looking for food in the kitchen.
  • 老鼠，。
    Zhè zhī lǎo shǔ hěn xiǎo, gāng gāng chū shēng.
    This mouse is very small, just born.
  • 老鼠，。
    Dà jiā dōu hài pà lǎo shǔ, dàn tā qí shí hěn kě ài.
    Everyone is afraid of mice, but they are actually very cute.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

老lǎo
鼠shǔrat

The 老 gives a familiar animal-naming sense to 鼠, which means rat.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

Open 老 →

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

The shape of 鼠 pictures a rat: the upper part looks like an open mouth with teeth, while the lower part shows two feet on the left and a tail on the right.

Open 鼠 →
Appears in
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