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鸭蛋 (yā dàn) — duck egg; zero (score), goose egg

Definition

Literally 'duck egg,' but it's also slang for a score of zero — like saying "goose egg" in English. The literal food sense is HSK 1-level basic; the zero-score meaning is colloquial.

noun
duck eggzero (score)goose egg
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 鸭蛋。
    Wǒ zǎo cān chī le yí gè yā dàn hé yí gè bāo zi.
    I had a duck egg and a steamed bun for breakfast.
  • 鸭蛋，。
    Zhè cì kǎo shì tā dé le yā dàn, huí jiā kěn dìng yào ái mà.
    He got a zero on this exam; he'll definitely get scolded when he goes home.
  • 鸭蛋，。
    Wǒ men duì dǎ le yì chǎng yā dàn, yí gè qiú dōu méi jìn.
    Our team scored a goose egg; we didn't make a single goal.

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yāduck
蛋dànegg

鸭 names the bird and 蛋 names the egg, together meaning duck's egg.

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 →

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
虫虫chóngsnake, insect
Sound part声符shēngfú
延
延yán蛋dàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 蛋, the lower part 虫 is a snake or insect, and the upper part is a shortened 延 giving the sound for 'egg'.

Open 蛋 →
Appears in
Food (General)Meat & Seafood

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