红红 (hóng hóng) — (coll.) red | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Reduplicated form of 红 (hóng), used as a bound modifier before nouns (often with 的) to mean 'red' in a softer, more vivid or descriptive way. Pairs naturally in phrases like 红红的苹果.

bound form

(coll.) red

Examples

红红。
Zhè ge píng guǒ hóng hóng de.
This apple is red.
红红。
Tā chuān zhuó yí jiàn hóng hóng de yī fu.
She is wearing a red dress.
红红。
hóng hóng De huā hěn piào liang.
Red flowers are beautiful.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

红hóngred

红, meaning red, is repeated in a colloquial form to emphasize the color.

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.

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 →