蚂蚁 (mǎ yǐ) — ant | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

ant

Measure word · 只

蚂蚁。
Wǒ cóng xiǎo xǐ huan kàn mǎ yǐ bān jiā.
I've loved watching ants move their nests since I was young.
蚂蚁，。
mǎ yǐ Suī rán hěn xiǎo, dàn néng bān dòng bǐ zì jǐ zhòng hěn duō de dōng xī.
Although ants are very small, they can carry things much heavier than themselves.
蚂蚁。
mǎ yǐ De shè huì fēn gōng fēi cháng míng què.
The division of labor in ant society is very clear.

Single-morpheme word

构词法gòucífǎ

联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

蚂mǎ

In 蚂蚁, the pair names 'ant' as one unit; 蚁 has that sense elsewhere, but here it does not combine freely.

Sound-only characters

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 螞; 蚂 is its simplified writing.

虫馬螞

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

馬

馬mǎ螞

Same sound today

The traditional form 螞 pairs 虫 (insect) with 馬 as its sound part; the simplified 蚂 is a later shorthand.

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 蟻; 蚁 is its simplified writing.

虫義蟻

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

義

義yì蟻yǐ

Same sound today

The traditional form 蟻 pairs 虫 (insect) with 義 as a sound part; the simplified 蚁 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Appears in