鬃毛 (zōng máo) — mane (of a horse, lion, etc.); bristle (of a pig, brush, etc.)

Definition

noun
mane (of a horse, lion, etc.)bristle (of a pig, brush, etc.)
Measure word · 根

Examples

  • 鬃毛。
    Nà pǐ mǎ de zōng máo hěn cháng.
    That horse's mane is very long.
  • 鬃毛。
    Shī zi de zōng máo kàn qǐ lái hěn yǒu lì liàng.
    The lion's mane looks very powerful.
  • 鬃毛。
    Zhū de zōng máo yòu yìng yòu cū.
    The pig's bristles are both hard and thick.

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.

鬃zōngmane
毛máohair

The “鬃” mane and “毛” hair together name the thick neck hair of an animal.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
髟髟biāoappearance of long hair
Sound part声符shēngfú
宗
宗zōng鬃zōng
Same sound today

鬃 pairs 髟, a part showing long hair, with 宗, which gives the sound.

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

毛 is drawn as a feather or hair, with its strokes tracing the shape of the feather or hair.

Open 毛 →

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