(zhū) — (bound morpheme) used in 茱萸, dogwood / cornus

Definition

茱 is a bound morpheme that only appears in the word 茱萸 (zhūyú, 'dogwood/cornus'). It has no independent meaning and is never used alone.

bound form
(bound morpheme) used in 茱萸dogwood / cornus

Examples

  • Chóng yáng jié de shí hou, rén men huì dài zhū yú.
    During the Double Ninth Festival, people wear dogwood branches.
  • Zhōng yào lǐ jīng cháng yòng dào zhū yú zhè zhǒng zhí wù.
    This dogwood plant is often used in traditional Chinese medicine.
  • Tā zài hòu yuàn zhǒng le yì kē zhū yú shù.
    He planted a dogwood tree in the backyard.

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
cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

茱 pairs 艸, a grass sign, with 朱, which gives the sound.

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