About
The character for "child" in its traditional form, "孩", is constructed from the semantic radical "子", which denotes a child or infant, combined with the phonetic component "亥", which historically provided a sound clue. Its original meaning in early classical texts was not the general term for a child but specifically referred to the laughter or chuckling of an infant, a meaning derived from the interplay between the components suggesting the vocalizations of a young one. Over centuries of linguistic usage, this specific sense faded, and the character underwent a semantic generalization where it absorbed and then supplanted the broader, more abstract concept of "child" from the classical term "子", thereby establishing itself as the standard, concrete noun for a young human being.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这个孩子很可爱。
邻居家的孩子在上小学。
小女孩喜欢在公园里玩耍。
每个孩子都应该有一个快乐的童年。
这些孩子们正在认真学习。
那个男孩长大后想成为一名科学家。
照顾年幼的孩子需要极大的耐心。
她孩童时代的记忆总是那么清晰而温暖。