措 (cuò) — (bound form) to arrange, to place; measure, move

Definition

措 is a bound form almost always seen inside words like 措施 (measures), 措辞 (wording), 措手不及 (caught off guard) — it is never used alone. The shared sense is 'arrange / handle / put into place'.

bound form
to arrangeto placemeasuremove
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Wǒ men xū yào cǎi qǔ yǒu xiào de cuò shī.
    We need to take effective measures.
  • 。
    Zhè piān bào dào de cuò cí hěn zhǔn què.
    The wording of this report is very accurate.
  • 。
    Tā de tū rán dào lái ràng dà jiā cuò shǒu bù jí.
    His sudden arrival caught everyone off guard.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
昔
昔xī措cuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 扌 shows a hand, and the right side 昔 gives the sound; together they form 措.

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