祥 (xiáng) — auspicious (used in compounds)

Definition

A bound literary morpheme meaning 'auspicious' that only appears inside set compounds like 吉祥 and 祥瑞 — never used as a standalone word.

bound form

auspicious (used in compounds)

，。
Xīn nián dào le, zhù nín jí xiáng rú yì.
The new year has arrived, wishing you good luck and auspiciousness.
祥。
Zhè zhāng huà de tú àn xiàng zhēng zhe xiáng ruì.
The pattern of this painting symbolizes auspiciousness.
祥。
Gǔ dài rén men shì lóng wèi xiáng ruì zhī shòu.
Ancient people regarded dragons as auspicious beasts.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

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

示示shìaltar

Sound part声符shēngfú

羊

羊yáng祥xiáng

Same sound today

祥 pairs 示 (altar) with 羊 for its sound. Originally it was just 羊, and 示 was added later to distinguish it.

Appears in