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紫红色 (zǐ hóng sè) — a purplish-red color; mauve, claret

Definition

noun
a purplish-red colormauveclaret

Examples

  • 紫红色。
    Tā chuān le yí jiàn zǐ hóng sè de qún zi.
    She wore a purplish-red dress.
  • 紫红色。
    Zhè zhǒng zǐ hóng sè de huā kāi le.
    This kind of purplish-red flower has bloomed.
  • 紫红色。
    Wǒ xǐ huan zǐ hóng sè de chuāng lián.
    I like purplish-red curtains.

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.

紫红purplish-red
紫zǐpurple红hóngred
偏正Modifier + head
色sècolor

“紫” tints “红”, and “色” names the resulting shade.

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
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
此
此cǐ紫zǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

紫 is made of 糸, a silk-related part, and 此, which gives the sound cǐ.

Open 紫 →

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 紅; 红 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng紅hóng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 紅 puts 糸 (silk) next to 工, which gives the sound; the simplified 红 is a later shorthand.

Open 红 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →
Appears in
Colors

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