玉玺 (yù xǐ) — imperial jade seal (symbol of imperial authority)

Definition

The imperial jade seal — the jade stamp held by the emperor of China, used to authenticate official documents and symbolizing supreme imperial authority.

noun
imperial jade seal (symbol of imperial authority)
Measure word · 方

Examples

  • 玉玺。
    Huáng dì yòng yù xǐ gài zài zhòng yào wén jiàn shàng.
    The emperor used the imperial jade seal to stamp important documents.
  • 玉玺。
    Bó wù guǎn lǐ zhǎn chū le yì méi gǔ dài yù xǐ.
    The museum is exhibiting an ancient imperial jade seal.
  • 玉玺。
    Zhè méi yù xǐ xiàng zhēng le huáng dì de quán lì.
    This jade seal symbolized the emperor's authority.

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.

玉yùjade
玺xǐseal

玉 names jade and 玺 a seal, so 玉玺 names the imperial jade seal.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

玉 was drawn as a ritual jade piece, or as jade pieces strung together, and was made distinct from 王 by adding a dot.

Open 玉 →

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 璽; 玺 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
爾
爾ěr璽xǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 璽 pairs 玉, jade, with 爾 giving the sound; the simplified 玺 is a later shorthand.

Open 玺 →

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