孩子

hái zi

child

hái

(bound form) child

zi

noun suffix, as in 椅子[yi3 zi5] "chair"

child (子) + sound hái (亥) = child (孩); doubled with 子 = a child

子 originally depicted a swaddled infant with arms reaching out, and it lends that same sense of smallness and new life to 孩. 亥 is purely phonetic, giving 孩 its sound hái without adding meaning.

这个孩子很聪明。

zhè ge hái zi hěn cōng ming。

This child is very smart.

她的孩子今年开始上学了。

tā de hái zi jīn nián kāi shǐ shàng xué le。

Her child started school this year.