诠 (quán) — (bound morpheme) to explain, to interpret, to annotate
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'to explain or interpret', usually appearing in 诠释, 诠注, or 阐释-style compounds. Don't use it alone — always pair it with a suffix like 释 or 注.
bound form
(bound morpheme) to explainto interpretto annotate
Examples
- 。Tā duì zhè bù jīng diǎn jìn xíng le quán shì.He interpreted this classic text.
- 诠。Xué zhě men zhèng zài quán zhù zhè xiē gǔ dài wén xiàn.Scholars are annotating these ancient documents.
- 诠。Zhè piān lùn wén duì gài niàn zuò le shēn rù quán jiě.This paper provides an in-depth explanation of the concept.
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 詮; 诠 is its simplified writing.
The traditional form 詮 pairs 言, tied to words, with 全, which gives the sound; the simplified 诠 is a later shorthand, not a historical breakdown.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.