驯象 (xún xiàng) — to train or domesticate elephants | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

驯 (xùn) means 'to tame / train (a wild animal)'; 驯象 specifically refers to training elephants, a traditional practice in South and Southeast Asia. Rare compound — most learners meet 驯 on its own (e.g. 驯兽 'tame beasts').

verb

to train or domesticate elephants

Examples

。
Tā xùn le wǔ zhī dà xiàng.
He trained five elephants.
。
Xùn dà xiàng xū yào hěn duō shí jiān hé nài xīn.
Training elephants requires a lot of time and patience.
。
Tā zài yìn dù xùn guò yì zhī dà xiàng.
He once trained an elephant in India.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

象xiàngelephant

驯 and 象 combine to mean tame or train an elephant.

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.

馬川馴

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.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

象 is drawn as an elephant, with a long trunk, a head, and a big body.

Appears in

Animals & Mammals

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