团 (tuán) — (noun) group; organization; regiment; (classifier) for a lump or soft mass (wad, ball, cloud); (verb) to roll into a ball; to gather
Definition
团 is a 'ball-shaped mass' classifier — for soft, rounded things like clouds or paper wads. Unlike 块 (chunky/piece-like), 团 implies a round, fluffy shape. As a noun, it means a group or organization.
noun
grouporganizationregiment
classifier
for a lump or soft mass (wad, ball, cloud)
verb
to roll into a ballto gather
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 。Wǒ cān jiā le yí gè lǚ yóu tuán.I joined a tour group.
- 团。Tiān shàng yǒu yì tuán bái yún.There is a white cloud in the sky.
- 团。Qǐng bǎ zhè xiē zhǐ tuán chéng qiú.Please roll these papers into balls.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 團; 团 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéi
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān團tuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The form 團 combines 囗 as a meaning part with 專 as a sound part; the story is about 團, not about 团.
Appears in
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