尘 (chén) — (bound form) dust, dirt; (bound form, literary) this world, the mortal world

Definition

尘 (chén) is a literary 'bound form' that always attaches to another character (灰尘 dust, 红尘 the mortal world). It carries a poetic or philosophical tone — in everyday speech use 灰 for dust.

bound form
dustdirt(bound form, literary) this worldthe mortal world
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Zhuō zi shàng yǒu hěn duō huī chén.
    There is a lot of dust on the table.
  • 。
    Fēng chuī qǐ le dì shàng de chén tǔ.
    The wind blew up the dust from the ground.
  • ，。
    Tā kàn pò le hóng chén, jué dìng chū jiā.
    He saw through the mortal world and decided to become a monk.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

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

In 尘, 小 (small) sits above 土 (earth), giving the idea of tiny bits of earth.

Appears in
Materials & Substances

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