鳞片 (lín piàn) — (fish) scales; (botany) bud scale

Definition

noun

(fish) scales(botany) bud scale

Measure word · 片

鳞片。
Zhè tiáo yú de lín piàn shǎn shǎn fā guāng.
The scales of this fish glitter.
，鳞片。
Chūn jì shí, shù mù de yá shàng cháng chū le lín piàn.
In spring, bud scales grow on the tree buds.
鳞片。
Yòng shuā zi kě yǐ qīng lǐ diào yú shēn shàng de lín piàn.
You can use a brush to remove the scales from the fish's body.

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.

片piànthin piece

鳞 means scale, and 片 means thin piece, together describing a scale.

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 鱗; 鳞 is its simplified writing.

魚粦鱗

Meaning part形符xíngfú

魚魚yúfish

Sound part声符shēngfú

粦

粦lín鱗lín

Same sound today

The traditional form 鱗 combines 魚 (fish) with 粦 to mark the sound; the simplified 鳞 is a later shorthand, so the story is about 鱗.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.