蜡 (là) — candle; wax
Definition
蜡 is the material 'wax' — a standalone noun for the substance itself (floor wax, modeling wax). 蜡烛 is the compound word for a 'candle' used for light.
noun
candlewax
Measure word · 根
Examples
- 蜡。Tā mǎi le yì gēn là.He bought a candle.
- 蜡，。Zhè zhǒng là hěn ruǎn, kě yǐ yòng lái zuò mó xíng.This wax is very soft and can be used to make models.
- 蜡。Qǐng bǎ dì bǎn shàng de là cā gān jìng.Please wipe the wax off the floor.
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 蠟; 蜡 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
巤
巤liè蠟là
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 蠟 has 虫 (insect) and 巤 (sound); the simplified 蜡 is a shorthand.
Appears in
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