淡黄 (dàn huáng) — light yellow, pale yellow

Definition

adjective
light yellowpale yellow
Easily confused

Examples

  • 淡黄。
    Tā chuān le yí jiàn dàn huáng de qún zi.
    She wore a light yellow dress.
  • ，淡黄。
    Chūn tiān de shí hou, tián yě lǐ kāi mǎn le dàn huáng de xiǎo huā.
    In spring, the fields are full of light yellow flowers.
  • 淡黄。
    Wǒ xǐ huan yòng dàn huáng de yán liào huà tài yáng.
    I like to use light yellow paint to draw the sun.

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.

淡dànpale/light
黄huángyellow

淡 means pale or light, and 黄 is yellow, giving a pale yellow color.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
炎
炎yán淡dàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

淡 puts 氵 (water) beside 炎, which gives the sound yán.

Open 淡 →

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 黃; 黄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
炗
炗guāng黃huáng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 黃 pairs 田 (field) with 炗 (light), which gives the sound; the simplified 黄 is a shorthand and its parts are not historical components.

Open 黄 →

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