萝 (luó) — root vegetable (radish, turnip, carrot) – used as a component in compound words; climbing/creeping plant (vine, creeper) – used as a component in compound words
Definition
萝 is a bound morpheme — it never stands alone; it only appears as the first half of compounds like 萝卜 (radish) and 菠萝 (pineapple).
bound form
root vegetable (radish, turnip, carrot) – used as a component in compound wordsclimbing/creeping plant (vine, creeper) – used as a component in compound words
Examples
- ，。Zhè dào cài lǐ miàn jiā le luó bo, wèi dào hěn hǎo.This dish has radish added, and it tastes great.
- 。luó Bo hán yǒu fēng fù de wéi shēng sù.Carrots are rich in vitamins.
- ，。Wǒ hěn xǐ huan chī bō luó, tā yòu tián yòu duō zhī.I really like eating pineapple; it's sweet and juicy.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 蘿; 萝 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
羅
羅luó蘿luó
Same sound today
The traditional form 蘿 combines 艸 (plants) with 羅, which shows the pronunciation; the simplified 萝 is a later shorthand.
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