裁缝 (cái feng) — tailor | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

裁缝 (cáifeng) names the person who makes or alters clothes — a tailor by trade. Don't confuse with 缝, which refers to a sewn seam on a garment, not the worker.

noun

tailor

Measure word · 个

Examples

裁缝。
Wǒ zhǎo le yí wèi cái feng zuò xī zhuāng.
I found a tailor to make a suit.
。
Nà jiā cái feng diàn yǐ jīng kāi le èr shí nián.
That tailor shop has been open for twenty years.
裁缝。
Tā fù qīn shì yí wèi yǒu míng de cái feng.
His father is a famous tailor.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

裁缝 links 裁 (cut) and 缝 (sew), describing the work of making clothes.

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.

衣𢦏裁

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢦏

𢦏𢦏裁cái

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

裁 combines 衣 (clothing) with 𢦏, whose form is tied to a blade and an arrow, to show cutting fabric.

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 縫; 缝 is its simplified writing.

糹逢縫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糹Written in full as糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

逢

逢féng縫fèng(r)

Same sound today

The traditional form 縫 pairs 糸 with 逢; 逢 gives the sound, and 糸 fits the sense. The simplified 缝 is a shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Professions & Jobs

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