桃红 (táo hóng) — peach pink (a shade of pink) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A soft pink color named after peach blossoms. As a color term, it works like an adjective to describe things (e.g. 桃红的连衣裙).

noun

peach pink (a shade of pink)

Examples

桃红。
Tā chuān le yí jiàn táo hóng de lián yī qún.
She wore a peach pink dress.
桃红。
Zhè zhǒng táo hóng de yán liào hěn shì hé huà táo huā.
This peach pink pigment is very suitable for painting peach blossoms.
桃红。
Qiáng shàng de táo hóng huā wén ràng fáng jiān xiǎn de hěn wēn xīn.
The peach pink pattern on the wall makes the room feel very cozy.

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.

桃 gives peach, and 红 gives red, naming a peach-like red shade.

Characters in this word

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

木兆桃

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

兆

兆zhào桃táo(r)

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

桃 combines 木, meaning tree, with 兆, which gives the sound.

Most 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 紅; 红 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìsilk

Sound part声符shēngfú

工

工gōng紅hóng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 紅 puts 糸 (silk) next to 工, which gives the sound; the simplified 红 is a later shorthand.

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