深灰色 (shēn huī sè) — dark grey

Definition

noun
dark grey

Examples

  • 深灰色。
    Tā chuān le yí jiàn shēn huī sè de dà yī.
    She wore a dark grey coat.
  • 深灰色。
    Zhè liàng shēn huī sè de chē kàn qǐ lái hěn wěn zhòng.
    This dark grey car looks very steady.
  • 深灰色，。
    Wǒ xǐ huan shēn huī sè, yīn wèi nài zāng.
    I like dark grey because it doesn't show dirt easily.

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.

深灰dark grey
深shēndark灰huīgrey
偏正Modifier + head
色sècolor

深灰 means dark grey, and 色 means color; together they name the dark grey 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
𥥍
𥥍𥥍深shēn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

深 is built from 氵, the side form of 水 “water”, and 𥥍, which supplies the sound.

Open 深 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

灰 shows 火 (fire) that can be touched by 又 (hand), meaning ash.

Open 灰 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →

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