孙 (sūn) — (bound form) grandchild; descendant; (bound form) second growth of plants (e.g. 竹孙); (surname) Sun
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'grandchild' that almost always appears inside a compound (孙子, 孙女, 外孙). The first sense in the list is the common one; the plant-growth and surname senses only appear in fixed words like 竹孙 or as a family name.
bound form
grandchilddescendantsecond growth of plants (e.g. 竹孙)(surname) Sun
Examples
- 。Tā de sūn zi jīn nián shàng xiǎo xué le.His grandson started elementary school this year.
- 孙。sūn Xiān sheng shì zhù míng de lì shǐ xué jiā.Mr. Sun is a famous historian.
- 孙。sūn Xiān sheng chuàng bàn le zhè jiā gōng sī.Mr. Sun founded this company.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 孫; 孙 is its simplified writing.
The traditional form 孫 pairs 子 (son) with 系 (continue), showing a line of descendants continuing. The simplified 孙 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.
Appears in
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