倜 (tì) — (bound morpheme) used only in 倜傥 (tìtǎng, 'unconventional and elegant')

Definition

A bound morpheme that appears only in 倜傥 (tìtǎng), a literary term for an 'unconventional and elegant' person — often a romantic, free-spirited scholar. It carries no meaning on its own.

bound form
(bound morpheme) used only in 倜傥 (tìtǎng, 'unconventional and elegant')
Easily confused

Examples

  • 倜傥，。
    Tā fēng liú tì tǎng, shì xǔ duō rén xīn zhōng de ǒu xiàng.
    He is dashing and romantic, an idol in many people's hearts.
  • 倜傥。
    Tā xīn shǎng tā nà zhǒng tì tǎng bù jī de qì zhì.
    She admires his free-spirited and unrestrained temperament.
  • 倜傥。
    Gǔ dài wén rén cháng yǐ tì tǎng lái xíng róng cái zǐ.
    Ancient literati often used 倜傥 to describe talented scholars.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu倜
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 亻 marks a person, and the right part 周 is the sound part.

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