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锯齿 (jù chǐ) — sawtooth; sawteeth

Definition

Literally 'saw teeth', 锯齿 refers both to the teeth of an actual saw and, by shape, to anything jagged like a saw blade — often seen in compounds such as 锯齿形 ('sawtooth-shaped').

noun
sawtoothsawteeth
Measure word · 颗

Examples

  • 锯齿。
    Zhè bǎ jù zi de jù chǐ hěn fēng lì.
    The sawteeth of this saw are very sharp.
  • 锯齿。
    jù chǐ Xíng de yè zi shì zhè zhǒng zhí wù de tè diǎn.
    Sawtooth-shaped leaves are a characteristic of this plant.
  • 锯齿。
    Tā xiǎo xīn dì dǎ mó měi yí gè jù chǐ.
    He carefully sharpened each sawtooth.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

锯jùsaw
齿chǐtooth

'锯' is a saw and '齿' is a tooth, naming the teeth of a saw.

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 鋸; 锯 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
居
居jū鋸jù
Same sound today

The traditional form 鋸 pairs 金 (metal) with 居 as a sound component. The simplified 锯 is an abbreviated form of 鋸.

Open 锯 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 齒; 齿 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 齒 originally drew a mouth full of teeth, and later gained a part that gives a clue to its sound. The simplified 齿 is a later shorthand.

Open 齿 →
Appears in
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