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虱子 (shī zi) — louse (parasitic insect that lives on mammals or birds)

Definition

noun
louse (parasitic insect that lives on mammals or birds)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • ，虱子。
    Zài yě wài lù yíng hòu, tā zài tóu fa lǐ fā xiàn le shī zi.
    After camping in the wild, he found a louse in his hair.
  • 虱子，。
    Zhè zhī liú làng gǒu shēn shàng yǒu hěn duō shī zi, xū yào mǎ shàng chǔ lǐ.
    This stray dog has a lot of lice and needs immediate treatment.
  • 虱子。
    Gǔ shí hou rén men méi yǒu yǒu xiào de bàn fǎ xiāo miè shī zi.
    In ancient times people had no effective way to eliminate lice.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

虱shīlouse
子zǐ

虱 supplies the louse meaning, while 子 completes the everyday word.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蝨; 虱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
䖵䖵䖵
Sound part声符shēngfú
卂
卂xùn蝨shī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 蝨 pairs 䖵, the meaning part, with 卂, the sound part. The simplified 虱 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 虱 →

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.

Open 子 →
Appears in
Insects

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