秋叶 (qiū yè) — autumn leaves (fallen or still on the tree) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

autumn leaves (fallen or still on the tree)

Measure word · 片

Examples

秋叶。
Gōng yuán lǐ de qiū yè luò le yí dì.
The autumn leaves have fallen all over the park.
秋叶，。
Tā jiǎn qǐ yí piàn hóng qiū yè, jiá zài shū lǐ.
She picked up a red autumn leaf and pressed it in a book.
，秋叶。
Qiū tiān de shí hou, zhè lǐ de qiū yè tè bié piào liang.
In autumn, the leaves here are especially beautiful.

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.

秋 means autumn and 叶 means leaf, yielding leaves of the autumn season.

Characters in this word

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

禾禾hégrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

𤒅

𤒅𤒅秋qiū

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape 秋 pairs 禾 (grain) with 𤒅, which gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

口十叶

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

十

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 叶 pairs 口 (mouth) with 十 (ten) as an old form meaning cooperate; it later came to mean leaf because it sounded similar.

Appears in

Climate & Seasons Plants & Flowers

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