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脑瓜 (nǎo guā) — (colloquial) head; (colloquial) mind, brains, mentality, ideas

Definition

Colloquial, casual word for 'head' (the body part) and, figuratively, 'brain / mind' as the seat of smarts or ideas.

noun
(colloquial) head(colloquial) mindbrainsmentalityideas
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 脑瓜。
    Tā nǎo guā hěn cōng ming.
    He is very smart (lit. his head is very smart).
  • 脑瓜，。
    Wǒ zuó tiān zhuàng dào le nǎo guā, xiàn zài hái téng.
    I hit my head yesterday, it still hurts.
  • 脑瓜，。
    Tā nǎo guā lǐ quán shì hǎo zhǔ yì, zhēn shì gè cōng ming rén.
    His head is full of good ideas; he's really a smart person.

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.

脑nǎobrain
瓜guāmelon

脑 gives the brain or mind, and 瓜 gives a rounded, familiar feel.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腦; 脑 is its simplified writing.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 巛巛chuānhair
  • 囟囟xìnhead; fontanel

In the traditional form 腦, the older part 匕 was replaced by a flesh part, while 巛 (hair) and 囟 (head; fontanel) stayed. The simplified 脑 is a later abbreviation.

Open 脑 →

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

The shape of 瓜 is drawn from a melon hanging from its vines, which matches its meaning.

Open 瓜 →
Appears in
Body PartsThinking & Cognition

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