足够 (zú gòu) — to be enough, to be sufficient | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

足够 is a formal way to say 'be enough / be sufficient,' often followed by an infinitive (e.g. 足够担任). The everyday sibling 够 covers the same idea in casual speech; 足 (in 足以) is more literary.

verb

to be enoughto be sufficient

Examples

足够？
Zhè xiē qián zú gòu nǐ mǎi yì zhāng jī piào ma?
Is this money enough for you to buy a plane ticket?
足够。
Sān gè xiǎo shí zú gòu wán chéng zhè ge rèn wu.
Three hours is enough to finish this task.
足够。
Tā de jīng yàn zú gòu dān rèn zhè ge zhí wèi.
His experience is sufficient to take on this position.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

足zúenough

足 and 够 both mean enough, so together they express that something is sufficient.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

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 夠; 够 is its simplified writing.

多句夠

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

句

句jù夠gòu

Same sound today

In the traditional form 夠, 多 is the part tied to the meaning and 句 is the part that gives the sound; the simplified 够 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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