驯化 (xùn huà) — to domesticate, to tame

Definition

Refers to the long, deliberate process of making wild plants or animals fit for human use. Stronger and more technical than the everyday 养 (yǎng, 'to raise/keep'), emphasizing genetic and behavioral change over generations.

verb
to domesticateto tame
Easily confused

Examples

  • 驯化。
    Rén lèi zài hěn duō nián qián jiù kāi shǐ xùn huà dòng wù le.
    Humans began to domesticate animals many years ago.
  • 驯化。
    Zhè zhǒng zhí wù yǐ jīng bèi chéng gōng xùn huà.
    This type of plant has been successfully domesticated.
  • 驯化。
    xùn huà Yě shēng dòng wù xū yào hěn dà de nài xīn.
    Domesticating wild animals requires a lot of patience.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

驯xùntame
化huàturn into

驯 conveys taming, and 化 turns that into making tame.

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 馴; 驯 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎ
Sound part声符shēngfú
川
川chuān馴xùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 馴 uses 馬 (horse) for the meaning and 川 for the sound; the simplified 驯 is a later shorthand.

Open 驯 →

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

化 shows two person figures, one upright and one upside down, to give the idea of reversal or change.

Open 化 →

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