赌棍 (dǔ gùn) — hardened gambler; professional gambler

Definition

A derogatory compound (赌 'gamble' + 棍 'stick/rogue') for a hardened, habitual gambler — stronger and more contemptuous than a neutral term like 赌徒.

noun

hardened gamblerprofessional gambler

赌棍。
Nà ge dǔ gùn shū guāng le suǒ yǒu de qián.
That hardened gambler lost all his money.
赌棍，。
Tā shì gè zhí yè dǔ gùn, kào dǔ bó wéi shēng.
He is a professional gambler, making a living by gambling.
赌棍。
Jǐng chá zhuā dào le jǐ gè dǔ gùn.
The police caught several gamblers.

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.

赌 refers to gambling, and 棍 points to a person, so 赌棍 is a hardened gambler.

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 賭; 赌 is its simplified writing.

貝者賭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèishell; money

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

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

The traditional form 賭 combines 貝 (shell; money) with 者, and this shape expresses the meaning to wager or to bet. The simplified 赌 is a shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木昆棍

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

昆

昆kūn棍gùn(r)

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

棍 has 木 (tree) beside 昆, which gives its sound.

Appears in