蔡 (cài) — Cài, a Chinese surname
Definition
noun
Càia Chinese surname
Examples
- 蔡。Wǒ rèn shi yí wèi cài xiān sheng.I know a Mr. Cai.
- 蔡。cài Lǎo shī shì wǒ de zhōng wén lǎo shī.Teacher Cai is my Chinese teacher.
- 蔡？Nǐ men zhī dào cài xiǎo jiě de diàn huà hào mǎ ma?Do you know Miss Cai's phone number?
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.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎovegetation
Sound part声符shēngfú
祭
祭jì蔡Cài
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
蔡 pairs 艸 (vegetation) with 祭, which gives the sound.
Appears in
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