About
The character "仔" originates as a semantic-phonetic compound, combining the person radical (亻) with the component "子" meaning child, to create a meaning associated with youth or a small person. Over centuries, its core semantic field expanded from strictly denoting a young child or son to encompass the young of animals, such as in "雞仔" (chick), and by extension, anything small or fine in detail. This concept of smallness also gave rise to its use as a nominal suffix denoting a person characterized by a certain trait or occupation, a usage particularly prevalent in southern dialects like Cantonese. The character's written form has remained consistent as "仔", with no separate traditional form created through simplification, allowing its structural components to continue reflecting its foundational meaning.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这只小狗仔很可爱。
请仔细看看这份文件。
他是妈妈的好儿子。
农场里有很多小鸡仔。
那个小伙子做事很仔细。
仔猪的健康需要特别关注。
你必须仔仔细细地检查一遍。
经过仔兽阶段的精心喂养，这只熊猫幼崽顺利长大了。