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紫色 (zǐ sè) — purple (color)

Definition

noun
purple (color)

Examples

  • 紫色。
    Tā xǐ huan chuān zǐ sè de yī fu.
    She likes to wear purple clothes.
  • 紫色。
    Huà lǐ yòng le hěn duō zǐ sè.
    The painting uses a lot of purple.
  • 紫色。
    zǐ sè Shì yì zhǒng gāo guì de yán sè.
    Purple is a noble color.

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zǐpurple
色sècolor

紫 names purple and 色 means color; 紫色 denotes the color purple.

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 →

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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