蓝宝石 (lán bǎo shí) — sapphire | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

sapphire

Measure word · 颗

蓝宝石，。
Tā dài zhe yì méi lán bǎo shí jiè zhi, fēi cháng yǐn rén zhù mù.
She wore a sapphire ring that was very eye-catching.
蓝宝石，。
Zhè zhǒng lán bǎo shí chǎn zì sī lǐ lán kǎ, yán sè shēn suì ér chún jìng.
This type of sapphire comes from Sri Lanka, with a deep and pure color.
蓝宝石。
Bó wù guǎn lǐ chén liè zhe yì kē zhòng dá yì bǎi kè lā de tiān rán lán bǎo shí.
The museum displays a natural sapphire weighing one hundred carats.

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.

宝石precious stone

偏正Modifier + head

蓝 means blue and 宝石 means precious stone, together naming a blue gemstone.

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 藍; 蓝 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

監

監jiān藍lán

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 蓝, the traditional form 藍 has 艸, grass, above 監, which gives the sound.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 寶; 宝 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 寶 shows 宀 (house), 琡 (jade), and 貝 (cowry), drawn together as treasures in a house.

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

The shape of 石 shows a stone under a cliff-like overhang, or a cave set into a cliff side.

Appears in