牍 (dú) — (historical) wooden writing slips; document; letter
Definition
牍 is a formal/literary term for a written document — in classical usage, narrow wooden slips; by extension, any official letter or paper. Learners will mostly meet it in set compounds like 尺牍 (letter/correspondence) and 案牍 (official paperwork).
noun
(historical) wooden writing slipsdocumentletter
Examples
- 牍。Zhè xiē mù dú shàng jì zǎi le gǔ dài de fǎ lǜ.These wooden slips record ancient laws.
- 牍，。Tā měi tiān chǔ lǐ dà liàng àn dú, gōng zuò shí fēn fán máng.He handles a large number of official documents every day, his work is very busy.
- 牍。Zhè fēng chǐ dú shì táng dài yí wèi shī rén xiě de.This letter was written by a Tang dynasty poet.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 牘; 牍 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
𧶠
𧶠𧶠牘dú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 牘 pairs 片, a slice, with 𧶠 as a sound part. The simplified 牍 is a later shorthand.
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