貂 (diāo) — marten (a small carnivorous mammal of the genus Martes, valued for its fur)
Definition
noun
marten (a small carnivorous mammal of the genus Martes, valued for its fur)
Measure word · 只
Examples
- 貂。diāo Shì yì zhǒng shēng huó zài sēn lín lǐ de xiǎo xíng bǔ rǔ dòng wù.The marten is a small mammal that lives in forests.
- ，。Zhè jiàn dà yī shì yòng diāo pí zuò de, fēi cháng bǎo nuǎn.This coat is made of marten fur and is very warm.
- 貂，。Zǐ diāo de pí máo zuì wéi zhēn guì, jià gé hěn gāo.The sable's fur is the most precious and its price is very high.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
豸豸zhì
Sound part声符shēngfú
召
召zhào貂diāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
貂 is built from 豸, the part used for animals, and 召, which gives the character its sound.
Appears in
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