鸭绒 (yā róng) — duck down (soft feathers used for insulation)

Definition

noun
duck down (soft feathers used for insulation)

Examples

  • 鸭绒。
    Zhè jiàn yā róng bèi xīn fēi cháng qīng biàn yòu bǎo nuǎn.
    This duck-down vest is very lightweight and warm.
  • 鸭绒,。
    Tā mǎi le yí gè yā róng zhěn tou, shuì qǐ lái tè bié shū fu.
    She bought a duck-down pillow, and it's especially comfortable to sleep on.
  • 鸭绒。
    Zhè zhǒng yā róng bèi zi de jià gé bǐ pǔ tōng bèi zi guì yì xiē.
    This kind of duck-down quilt is a bit more expensive than ordinary quilts.

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.

鸭 gives the source as a duck, and 绒 names the soft down.

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 鴨; 鸭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鳥鳥niǎobird
Sound part声符shēngfú
甲
甲jiǎ鴨yā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鴨 uses 甲 for its sound and 鳥 for bird; the simplified 鸭 is a shorthand.

Open 鸭 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 绒 →

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