胖小子 (pàng xiǎo zi) — chubby little boy (colloquial)

Definition

noun

chubby little boy (colloquial)

Measure word · 个

胖小子！
Nà ge pàng xiǎo zi zhēn kě ài!
That chubby little boy is really cute!
胖小子。
Lín jū jiā de pàng xiǎo zi yǐ jīng huì zǒu lù le.
The neighbor's chubby little boy can already walk.
胖小子。
Tā shēng le yí gè pàng xiǎo zi.
She gave birth to a chubby little boy.

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.

小子boy

后缀Suffix

胖 describes a 小子, a boy, so the word pictures a chubby little boy.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

半

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

胖 pairs 肉, which relates to flesh or the body, with 半, which gives a clue to the sound.

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

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.