鸵鸟 (tuó niǎo) — ostrich | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

ostrich

Measure word · 只

鸵鸟。
tuó niǎo Shì pǎo dé hěn kuài de dà niǎo.
The ostrich is a big bird that runs very fast.
鸵鸟。
Wǒ zài dòng wù yuán kàn jiàn le liǎng zhī tuó niǎo.
I saw two ostriches at the zoo.
鸵鸟，。
tuó niǎo De dàn hěn dà, yí gè kě yǐ gěi hǎo jǐ gè rén chī.
Ostrich eggs are big; one can feed several people.

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.

鸵 cannot stand alone, and 鸟 means bird; together they name the ostrich.

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 鴕; 鸵 is its simplified writing.

鳥它鴕

Meaning part形符xíngfú

鳥鳥niǎobird

Sound part声符shēngfú

它

它tā鴕tuó

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鴕 pairs 鳥 (bird) with 它 as a sound part; the simplified 鸵 is a shorthand and its right side is not a historical component.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鳥; 鸟 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 鳥 came from a drawing of a bird with a dangling tail; the simplified 鸟 is a later abbreviation.

Appears in