语 (yǔ) — (bound form) language; speech; (in literary Chinese) to say; to tell
Definition
语 (yǔ) is a bound form meaning 'language' or 'speech' — it almost never stands alone, but appears in common compounds like 汉语, 英语, 语文, 成语. The literary sense 'to say' survives in set phrases such as 沉默不语.
bound form
languagespeech(in literary Chinese) to sayto tell
Easily confused
- 悟wùlook-aliketo comprehend; to become aware (of a truth or principle)
- 与yǔsound-alike(conjunction) and (formal, connecting nouns)
- 捂wǔlook-aliketo cover (with the hand), e.g., eyes, ears, or mouth
- 雨yǔsound-alikerain
- 梧wúlook-alike(bound form) Chinese parasol tree (used in 梧桐)
- 宇yǔsound-alike(bound form) universe, cosmos
Examples
- ？Nǐ zài xué hàn yǔ ma?Are you learning Chinese?
- 。Zhè ge chéng yǔ hěn yǒu yì si.This idiom is very interesting.
- ，语。Tā tīng le zhī hòu, chén mò bù yǔ.After hearing it, he was silent.
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 語; 语 is its simplified writing.
The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.
Appears in
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