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深蓝色 (shēn lán sè) — dark blue (color)

Definition

A color noun for 'dark blue.' The 深– prefix simply means 'deep/dark' (compare 浅色 'light color'); the head is 蓝色 'blue.'

noun
dark blue (color)

Examples

  • 深蓝色。
    Tā chuān le yí jiàn shēn lán sè de shàng yī.
    He wore a dark blue shirt.
  • 深蓝色。
    Tiān kōng shì shēn lán sè de.
    The sky is dark blue.
  • 深蓝色。
    Wǒ mǎi le yì běn shēn lán sè de bǐ jì běn.
    I bought a dark blue notebook.

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.

深蓝deep blue
深shēndeep蓝lánblue
偏正Modifier + head
色sècolor

'深' and '蓝' give 'deep blue,' while '色' names the 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 →

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 藍; 蓝 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān藍lán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 蓝, the traditional form 藍 has 艸, grass, above 監, which gives the sound.

Open 蓝 →

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 →
Appears in
Colors

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