惭 (cán) — (bound form) ashamed
Definition
A bound morph meaning 'ashamed,' only used inside 惭愧 and the set phrase 羞惭. It is not a standalone word.
bound form
ashamed
Examples
- 。Tā gǎn dào fēi cháng cán kuì.He felt very ashamed.
- 惭。Tā yīn zì jǐ de xíng wéi ér xiū cán.She felt ashamed because of her own behavior.
- 。Tā cán kuì dì dī xià le tóu.He lowered his head in shame.
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 慚; 惭 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
斬
斬zhǎn慚cán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 慚 writes 心, heart, beside 斬, which gave the sound; the simplified 惭 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the historical part.
Appears in
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