蛎 (lì) — (bound morpheme) used in 牡蛎 (mǔlì, 'oyster')

Definition

A bound morpheme, never used alone: it appears only in the word 牡蛎 (mǔlì), meaning 'oyster'. Think of it as the written/formal equivalent of the everyday 海蛎 (hǎilì).

bound form
(bound morpheme) used in 牡蛎 (mǔlì, 'oyster')
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Wǒ xǐ huan chī mǔ lì.
    I like eating oysters.
  • 。
    Zhè jiā diàn de mǔ lì tāng hěn hǎo hē.
    The oyster soup at this restaurant is very tasty.
  • 。
    Hǎi biān yǒu hěn duō mǔ lì ké.
    There are many oyster shells by the seaside.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蠣; 蛎 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
虫虫chónginsect; bug; creature
Sound part声符shēngfú
厲
厲lì蠣
Same sound today

The traditional form 蠣 pairs 虫 (insect; bug; creature) with 厲 for sound; the simplified 蛎 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.

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