皇 (huáng) — imperial; royal; emperor; sovereign
Definition
皇 (huáng) is a bound form meaning 'imperial' or 'emperor'. It almost always appears as part of compounds such as 皇帝 (emperor), 皇宫 (imperial palace), or 皇冠 (crown), not as a standalone word.
bound form
imperialroyalemperorsovereign
Examples
- 溥。Zhōng guó de zuì hòu yí wèi huáng dì shì pǔ yí.China's last emperor was Puyi.
- 。huáng Gōng shì huáng dì jū zhù de dì fāng.The imperial palace is where the emperor lives.
- ，。Tā dài zhe yì dǐng huáng guān, kàn qǐ lái xiàng yí wèi nǚ wáng.She wore a crown and looked like a queen.
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.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
𤼽𤼽𤼽
Sound part声符shēngfú
王
王wáng皇huáng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The part 𤼽 originally drew a single peacock feather; 王 was later added to give the sound.
Appears in
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