葡 (pú) — (bound morpheme) used in 葡萄 (grape) and 葡萄牙 (Portugal)

Definition

葡 (pú) only appears as a bound morpheme inside 葡萄 (grape) and 葡萄牙 (Portugal) — never used alone.

bound form
(bound morpheme) used in 葡萄 (grape) and 葡萄牙 (Portugal)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    pú Tao shì yì zhǒng hěn tián de shuǐ guǒ.
    Grapes are a very sweet fruit.
  • 。
    pú Tao jiǔ zài fǎ guó hěn yǒu míng.
    Wine is very famous in France.
  • 。
    pú Tao yá zài ōu zhōu de xī nán bù.
    Portugal is in southwestern Europe.

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
匍
匍pú葡
Same sound today

葡 is built from 艸 (grass) plus 匍 as the sound part. For the grape meaning, the old explanation also links it to a sprout growing in a field, so the shape points to plants.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.