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灰 (huī) — (noun) ash; dust; lime (powdery substance); (adjective) gray (color); (adjective) discouraged, dejected (used in compounds like 灰心)

Definition

As a noun, 灰 is a loose powdery residue (ash, dust) — broader than the fine particles of 粉末 or the dirt of 土. As an adjective, the color sense is everyday gray; the figurative 'discouraged' sense appears mainly in 灰心.

noun
ashdustlime (powdery substance)
adjective
gray (color)discourageddejected (used in compounds like 灰心)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 灰。
    Bì lú lǐ de huī xū yào qīng lǐ le.
    The ash in the fireplace needs to be cleaned.
  • 。
    Jīn tiān de tiān kōng shì huī sè de.
    Today's sky is gray.
  • ，。
    Shī bài le hěn duō cì, dàn tā méi yǒu huī xīn.
    He failed many times, but he didn't lose heart.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

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.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5ColorsMaterials & Substances5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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