颧骨 (quán gǔ) — cheekbones

Definition

noun
cheekbones
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 颧骨,。
    Tā de quán gǔ hěn gāo, kàn qǐ lái hěn piào liang.
    Her cheekbones are high, making her look very pretty.
  • 颧骨,。
    Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de quán gǔ, què rèn méi yǒu gǔ zhé.
    The doctor examined his cheekbones and confirmed there was no fracture.
  • ,颧骨。
    Huà zhuāng shí, zài quán gǔ shàng dǎ yì diǎn sāi hóng huì xiǎn de qì sè gèng hǎo.
    When applying makeup, putting a little blush on the cheekbones makes you look healthier.

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.

颧quáncheekbone
骨gǔbone

颧 points to the cheek or cheekbone, and 骨 names the bone.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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
Sound part声符shēngfú
冎
冎guǎ骨gǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The older form 冎 drew a bone; 肉, flesh, was added to make 骨.

Open 骨 →
Appears in

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