芮 (ruì) — a surname

Definition

Examples

  • 芮。
    Tā xìng ruì.
    His surname is Rui.
  • 芮。
    ruì Xiān sheng shì wǒ de lǎo shī.
    Mr. Rui is my teacher.
  • 芮。
    Wǒ rèn shi yí wèi ruì xiǎo jiě.
    I know a Miss Rui.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
內
內nèi芮Ruì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

芮 combines 艸 (grass) with 內, the part that shows how it sounds.

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