(chén) — (bound form) orange (the fruit)

Definition

橙 (chén) is a bound form used to build compounds about oranges (橘子 is the whole fruit; 橙 only appears in words like 橙子, 橙汁, 橙树).

bound form
orange (the fruit)

Examples

  • Wǒ mǎi le yí gè chén zi.
    I bought an orange.
  • Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi chén zhī.
    Please give me a glass of orange juice.
  • chén Shù de yè zi shì lǜ sè de.
    The leaves of the orange tree are green.

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
tree; wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
dēngchéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

橙 pairs 木 (tree; wood) with 登, which gives its sound.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.