枕

zhěn

冘 + 木

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

zhěn (noun) pillow

zhěn (verb) to rest one's head on

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 冘 represents the sound.

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 冘

About

The character 枕 is a phono-semantic compound, with the semantic radical 木 (wood) on the left indicating material and the phonetic component 冘 on the right. As a noun, it means a pillow or headrest used for sleeping or resting. As a verb, it means to rest one's head on something or to use an object as a pillow. The wood radical reflects the historical fact that early pillows were often carved from wood or bamboo.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我有一个柔软的枕头。

Wǒ yǒu yī gè róuruǎn de zhěntou.

I have a soft pillow.

她喜欢枕着枕头睡觉。

Tā xǐhuan zhěnzhe zhěntou shuìjiào.

She likes to sleep on a pillow.

妈妈洗了枕套和床单。

Māma xǐ le zhěntào hé chuángdān.

Mom washed the pillowcases and sheets.

他把书枕在头下。

Tā bǎ shū zhěn zài tóu xià.

He used the book as a pillow under his head.

枕边的闹钟响了。

Zhěnbiān de nàozhōng xiǎng le.

The alarm clock beside the pillow rang.

铁路工人在更换枕木。

Tiělù gōngrén zài gēnghuàn zhěnmù.

The railway workers are replacing the railroad ties.

这个枕头填充物是羽绒。

Zhège zhěntou tiánchōngwù shì yǔróng.

The filling of this pillow is down.

他枕着双臂沉思了一会儿。

Tā zhěnzhe shuāngbì chénsī le yīhuìr.

He pondered for a while with his arms under his head.

Related Characters

Component: 冘

Component: 木

枕