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鸡皮疙瘩 (jī pí gē da) — goosebumps (colloquial); goose pimples

Definition

A vivid colloquial image for 'goosebumps,' literally 'chicken-skin bumps.' Usually triggered by cold, fear, or strong emotion, and pairs with the verb 起.

noun
goosebumps (colloquial)goose pimples

Examples

  • 鸡皮疙瘩。
    Nà ge kǒng bù diàn yǐng ràng wǒ qǐ le jī pí gē da.
    That horror movie gave me goosebumps.
  • ，鸡皮疙瘩。
    Tīng dào zhè ge shēng yīn, wǒ hún shēn qǐ jī pí gē da.
    Hearing this sound, I got goosebumps all over.
  • ，鸡皮疙瘩。
    Bié jiǎng zhè yàng de gù shi le, wǒ dōu qǐ jī pí gē da le.
    Don't tell stories like that — I'm already getting goosebumps.

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.

鸡皮chicken skin
鸡jīchicken皮pískin
偏正Modifier + head
疙瘩bumps
疙gē瘩da

鸡皮 chicken skin and 疙瘩 bumps describe bumps like chicken skin.

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 雞; 鸡 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuīshort-tailed bird
Sound part声符shēngfú
奚
奚xī雞jī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 雞 pairs 奚, which gives the sound, with 隹, a short-tailed bird. The simplified 鸡 is a later shorthand, and its right side is not the historical 奚.

Open 鸡 →

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

皮 shows a hand pulling fur off an animal pelt, with the pelt drawn at the upper left.

Open 皮 →

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
疒疒nèsickness
Sound part声符shēngfú
乞
乞qǐ疙
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape of 疙 comes from 疒, which shows sickness, and 乞, a sound part.

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
疒疒nèillness
Sound part声符shēngfú
荅
荅dá瘩
Same sound today

瘩 is made of 疒 (illness) and 荅, which gives the sound dá.

Appears in
Body Parts

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