花纹 (huā wén) — pattern, decorative design (on fabric, wood, an… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A decorative pattern seen on a surface (fabric, wood, skin). Concrete and physical, unlike 图案 which covers abstract or graphic designs too.

noun

patterndecorative design (on fabric, wood, animal skin, etc.)

Measure word · 种

Examples

花纹。
Mù tou shàng kè zhe jīng měi de huā wén.
The wood is carved with exquisite patterns.
花纹。
Zhè zhǒng shé de huā wén hěn tè bié.
The pattern on this snake is very special.
花纹。
Wǒ xǐ huan zhè jiàn yī fu shàng de huā wén.
I like the pattern on this piece of clothing.

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.

花huāflower/decorative

纹wénpattern

The 'flower/decorative' sense of 花 and the 'pattern' sense of 纹 combine to mean a decorative design.

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.

艹化花

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

化

Same sound today

花 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 化, which gives the sound.

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 紋; 纹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìthread

Sound part声符shēngfú

文

Same sound today

The traditional form 紋 pairs 糸 (thread) with 文 as the sound part, giving the sense of a line of thread; this note is about 紋, not 纹.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Photography & Design

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