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黑豹 (hēi bào) — black panther

Definition

noun
black panther
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 黑豹。
    Wǒ zài dòng wù yuán kàn dào yì zhī hēi bào.
    I saw a black panther at the zoo.
  • 黑豹。
    hēi bào Shì yè jiān chū sè de liè shǒu.
    The black panther is an excellent nighttime hunter.
  • 黑豹。
    Tā zuì xǐ huan màn wēi jué sè hēi bào.
    He likes the Marvel character Black Panther the most.

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.

黑hēiblack
豹bàoleopard

黑 means black and 豹 means leopard, together naming the black panther.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 黑 seems to come from drawing a head marked with dots, usually read as facial tattoos.

Open 黑 →

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
豸豸zhìbeast; creature
Sound part声符shēngfú
勺
勺sháo豹bào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

豹 pairs 豸, a mark for a beast or creature, with 勺, which gives the sound.

Open 豹 →
Appears in
Animals & Mammals

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