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麻绳 (má shéng) — hemp cord

Definition

noun
hemp cord
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 麻绳。
    Tā yòng má shéng kǔn zhù le xiāng zi.
    He tied up the box with hemp cord.
  • 麻绳，。
    Zhè tiáo má shéng hěn jiē shi, bù róng yì duàn.
    This hemp cord is very strong and not easy to break.
  • 麻绳。
    Gǔ dài rén cháng yòng má shéng lái zhì zuò gōng jù.
    Ancient people often used hemp cord to make tools.

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.

麻máhemp
绳shéngrope

Hemp names the fiber used to make the rope.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

麻 combines 厂 and 𣏟 to represent hemp leaves.

Open 麻 →

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 繩; 绳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
黽
黽mǐn繩shéng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 繩 is built from 糸, the rope/string part, and 黽, the sound part.

Open 绳 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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