跳马 (tiào mǎ) — vaulting horse; horse vaulting

Definition

noun
vaulting horsehorse vaulting
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 跳马。
    Zhè ge tiào mǎ shì xīn de.
    This vaulting horse is new.
  • 跳马。
    Tā cān jiā le tiào mǎ bǐ sài.
    She participated in the vaulting competition.
  • 跳马。
    Tā men měi tiān liàn xí tiào mǎ.
    They practice vaulting every day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

跳tiàovault
马mǎhorse

跳 is the vaulting action and 马 is the horse apparatus, naming the event of vaulting the horse.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
足足zúfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
兆
兆zhào跳tiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

跳 pairs 足 (foot) with 兆, which supplies the sound; the foot part shows the action is done with the feet.

Open 跳 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 馬; 马 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 馬 shows a horse with its head facing left, a flowing mane, and two legs standing vertically.

Open 马 →

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