鼻梁 (bí liáng) — bridge of the nose | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

bridge of the nose

Measure word · 条

Examples

鼻梁。
Tā de bí liáng hěn gāo.
His nose bridge is high.
鼻梁。
Zhè fù yǎn jìng de bí liáng tài dī le.
The nose bridge of these glasses is too low.
鼻梁。
Tā bù xiǎo xīn zhuàng dào le bí liáng.
He accidentally bumped his nose bridge.

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.

鼻 names the nose, and 梁 evokes a beam or ridge across it.

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.

自畀鼻

Meaning part形符xíngfú

自自zìnose

Sound part声符shēngfú

畀

畀bì鼻bí

Same sound today

鼻 pairs 自, meaning nose, with 畀, which gives the sound.

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

水水shuǐwater

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

刅

刅chuāng梁Liáng

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

梁 pairs 水 (water) and 木 (wood) to show a bridge, with 刅 giving the sound.

Appears in

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