() — variant of 褲|裤

Definition

裤 (kù) is a bound form meaning 'pants' — it almost always appears with a suffix like 子 (裤子) or a measure + classifier (一条裤子), never alone.

bound form
variant of 褲|裤

Examples

  • Zhè tiáo kù zi tài cháng le ma?
    Are these pants too long?
  • Wǒ zuó tiān mǎi le yì tiáo xīn kù zi.
    I bought a new pair of pants yesterday.
  • Zhè tiáo kù zi shì mián de, chuān zhuó hěn shū fu.
    These pants are cotton, they're very comfortable to wear.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 褲; 裤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
clothing
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

The traditional form 褲 pairs 衣 (clothing) with 庫 for its sound. The simplified 裤 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical pieces.

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