阿里巴巴 (A lǐ bā bā) — Ali Baba (character from the folk tale “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” from Arabian Nights)

Definition

noun
Ali Baba (character from the folk tale “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” from Arabian Nights)

Examples

  • 《》阿里巴巴。
    《Yì qiān líng yī yè》 lǐ yǒu A lǐ bā bā de gù shi.
    The story of Ali Baba is in One Thousand and One Nights.
  • 阿里巴巴。
    A lǐ bā bā Shì gù shi lǐ hěn cōng ming de rén.
    Ali Baba is a very clever person in the story.
  • 阿里巴巴，。
    Hěn duō rén zhī dào A lǐ bā bā, yīn wèi tā de míng zì hěn tè bié.
    Many people know Ali Baba because its name is very special.

Origin

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
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
可
可kě阿ā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The part 阜 points to a mound, and 可 gives the pronunciation; 阿 originally meant a big mound.

Open 阿 →

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 裡; 里 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 里 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (里, 里面) it is 裡; in others (公里) it is 里 or 裏.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衤Written in full as衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
里
里lǐ裡lǐ
Same sound today

The form 裡 pairs 衤 (clothes) with 里 as a sound component.

Open 里 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 巴 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 巴 →

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