淫书 (yín shū) — pornographic book

Definition

noun
pornographic book
Measure word · 本

Examples

  • 淫书。
    Zhè běn yín shū bèi hǎi guān mò shōu le.
    This pornographic book was confiscated by customs.
  • 淫书。
    Tā yīn wèi fàn mài yín shū bèi pàn le xíng.
    He was sentenced for selling pornographic books.
  • 淫书。
    Tú shū guǎn lǐ bù yǔn xǔ jiè yuè yín shū.
    Borrowing pornographic books is not allowed in the library.

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.

淫yínlewd
书shūbook

淫 gives the sense of lewd or obscene, and 书 is a book; together they name a book of that kind.

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
㸒
㸒㸒淫yín
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape combines 氵 (the water form of 水) with 㸒, which supplies the sound.

Open 淫 →

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùwriting brush
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě書shū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

Open 书 →

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