调色 (tiáo sè) — to mix colors, to blend colors (in painting, de…

Definition

A verb meaning to mix or blend colors (as a painter or designer does). Used with 画笔/颜料/颜色 — not for color-matching by name (那是配色).

verb

to mix colorsto blend colors (in painting, design, etc.)

调色。
Zhè wèi huà jiā zhèng zài yòng huà bǐ tiáo sè.
This painter is mixing colors with a brush.
，。
Wǒ xū yào tiáo yí xià sè, ràng huà miàn gèng liàng.
I need to mix the colors a bit to make the picture brighter.
，调色。
Tā xué le hǎo jǐ nián, zhōng yú xué huì tiáo sè le.
She studied for several years and finally learned to mix colors.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

调tiáomix/adjust

调 expresses adjusting or mixing, and 色 is the colors being blended.

Characters in this word

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 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

言周調

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

周

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Appears in