浑 (hún) — muddy, turbid (of water, air, etc.); stupid, simple-minded, unsophisticated; entire, whole (used in compounds like 浑身, 浑然)

Definition

Literary adjective. 浑水 means 'muddy water' (the everyday way to say it); 浑 means 'stupid/feeble-minded' (similar to 傻 but more literary and insulting); 浑身 = 'all over the body'.

adjective
muddyturbid (of water, air, etc.)stupidsimple-mindedunsophisticatedentirewhole (used in compounds like 浑身, 浑然)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 浑，。
    Zhè tiáo hé de hún shuǐ hěn zāng, bù néng hē.
    The muddy water of this river is very dirty and not drinkable.
  • 浑，。
    Tā zhè ge rén yǒu diǎn hún, bié gēn tā jì jiào.
    He's a bit stupid, don't argue with him.
  • 。
    Tā hún shēn shàng xià dōu shì ní.
    His whole body is covered in mud.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 渾; 浑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐriver
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn渾hún
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 渾 pairs 氵 (river) with 軍 to give the sound; the simplified 浑 is a later shorthand, and its right side is not the historical component.

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