来路 (lái lù) — origin, background, antecedents (of a person or thing); path or route leading here; way of approach

Definition

来路 most often flags a person's or thing's origin and trustworthiness (来路不明 = 'shady background') — the literal 'path here' sense is secondary. Pairs with 去路 ('way out / future path') to bookend a person's history and prospects.

noun
originbackgroundantecedents (of a person or thing)path or route leading hereway of approach

Examples

  • ，。
    Zhè ge rén de lái lù bù míng, dà jiā yào xiǎo xīn.
    This person's background is unknown — everyone should be careful.
  • 来路，。
    Zhè xiē qián de lái lù yǒu wèn tí, wǒ men bù néng shōu.
    There's something wrong with the origin of this money — we can't accept it.
  • 来路，。
    Yán zhe zhè tiáo lái lù zǒu, jiù néng dào xué xiào hòu mén.
    Follow this approach path, and you'll get to the back gate of the school.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

来láicome
路lùroad

来 points to coming and 路 to a route, together the way something comes or its origin.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →

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
足足zú
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè路lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Open 路 →

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