食草动物 (shí cǎo dòng wù) — herbivorous animal

Definition

noun
herbivorous animal
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 食草动物。
    Dà duō shù shí cǎo dòng wù chī zhí wù.
    Most herbivorous animals eat plants.
  • 食草动物。
    Niú hé yáng dōu shì shí cǎo dòng wù.
    Cows and sheep are both herbivorous animals.
  • 食草动物，。
    Shī zi bú shì shí cǎo dòng wù, tā men chī bié de dòng wù.
    Lions are not herbivores — they eat other animals.

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.

食草eat grass
食shíeat草cǎograss
动宾Verb + object
动物animal
动dòngmove物wùthing
偏正Modifier + head

食草 means eating grass and 动物 means moving creatures, describing an animal that eats grass.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 亼亼jímouth
  • 皀皀jía bowl of rice on a stand

The form behind 食 shows 亼, a mouth, together with 皀, a bowl of rice on a stand. In modern 食, the bowl part has changed shape.

Open 食 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
早
早zǎo草cǎo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

草 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 早, which gives the sound. The form originally referred to another word and was later used for the grass sense.

Open 草 →

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →

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
牛牛niú
Sound part声符shēngfú
勿
勿wù物wù
Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Open 物 →

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