役 (yì) — (bound form) labor; service (in 劳役, 服役); (bound form) battle; campaign (in 战役)
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'labor/service' or 'battle/campaign' — it only appears in compounds like 劳役, 服役, 战役, never as a standalone word.
bound form
laborservice (in 劳役, 服役)battlecampaign (in 战役)
Examples
- 。Tā fú le liǎng nián bīng yì.He served in the military for two years.
- 。Zhè chǎng zhàn yì fēi cháng jī liè.This battle was extremely fierce.
- 。Gǔ dài nóng mín yào fú láo yì.Ancient peasants had to perform forced labor.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 彳彳chìmovement; action
- 殳殳shūa weapon, like a spear
役 pairs 彳 (movement) with 殳 (a weapon like a spear) to show someone moving with a weapon to guard a border, giving the idea of a duty or task.
Appears in
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