马裤 (mǎ kù) — riding breeches; jodhpurs

Definition

noun

riding breechesjodhpurs

Measure word · 条

，马裤。
Tā qí le yí bèi zi mǎ, dàn cóng lái bù chuān mǎ kù.
He rode horses all his life but never wore riding breeches.
马裤。
Nà tào dìng zhì mǎ kù yòng dé shì shàng děng ní róng.
That custom-made riding breeches were made of fine woolen fabric.
马裤。
Xiàn dài mǎ shù bǐ sài yāo qiú xuǎn shǒu chuān bái sè mǎ kù.
Modern equestrian competitions require riders to wear white jodhpurs.

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.

裤kùtrousers

“马” relates to riding horses and “裤” is trousers, so trousers worn for riding.

Characters in this word

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.

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 褲; 裤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

衣衣yīclothing

Sound part声符shēngfú

庫

庫kù褲

Same sound today

The traditional form 褲 pairs 衣 (clothing) with 庫 for its sound. The simplified 裤 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical pieces.