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绿衣 (lǜ yī) — green uniform of postal workers (postman, mail carrier); (literary) green clothes

Definition

Literary term for a postman's green uniform (the iconic color of China Post). Out of context it just means 'green clothes', but in modern usage it almost always refers to mail carriers.

noun
green uniform of postal workers (postman, mail carrier)(literary) green clothes
Measure word · 件

Examples

  • 绿衣。
    Nà wèi lǜ yī zhèng zài sòng xìn.
    That mail carrier is delivering letters.
  • 绿衣。
    lǜ yī Shì zhōng guó yóu zhèng de biāo zhì zhī yī.
    The green uniform is one of the symbols of China Post.
  • 绿衣，。
    Tā chuān zhuó yì shēn lǜ yī, kàn qǐ lái hěn jīng shén.
    He is wearing a green uniform and looks very energetic.

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.

绿lǜgreen
衣yīclothes

绿 and 衣 describe the green clothing worn by postal workers.

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 綠; 绿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
彔
彔lù綠lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 綠 uses 糸 to show silk and 彔 for sound; the simplified 绿 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 绿 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 衣 comes from an outline of the chest and upper clothing.

Open 衣 →
Appears in
ClothingProfessions & Jobs

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