句号 (jù hào) — full stop (.) / period (.)

Definition

noun
full stop (.) / period (.)
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 句号句号
    Zhōng wén de jù hào shì kōng xīn de, yīng wén de jù hào shì shí xīn de.
    The Chinese full stop is hollow, while the English period is solid.
  • 句号
    Xiě zuò wén shí, měi jù huà mò wěi dōu yào jiā jù hào.
    When writing an essay, you need to add a period at the end of every sentence.
  • 句号
    Zhè ge jù hào shì bu shì lòu xiě le?
    Didn't you miss writing this full stop?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

sentence

“句” sentence plus “号” mark: a mark ending a sentence.

Characters in this word

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
jiūto entangle
Sound part声符shēngfú
kǒu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

句 pairs 丩, originally two entangled ropes and giving a sense of entangling, with 口 as the sound part.

Open 句 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • kǒumouth
  • kǎoexhaled air; a tiger's cry

The shape 号 comes from 口, a mouth, and 丂, exhaled air or a tiger's cry.

Open 号 →

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