轴 (zhóu) — axis; axle; shaft; spool; reel; roller; (classifier) for scrolls of paintings or calligraphy
Definition
Bound form covering a rotating rod (轴 zhóu), a spool or reel, and an old classifier for scrolls of calligraphy or paintings. The composite 压轴 refers to the final act of a show, literally the rod that 'presses the axle'.
bound form
axisaxleshaftspoolreelroller
classifier
for scrolls of paintings or calligraphy
Examples
- 轴，。Chē lún de zhóu huài le, xū yào xiū lǐ.The wheel's axle is broken and needs repair.
- 轴。Tā bǎ xiàn rào zài zhóu shàng.She wound the thread onto the spool.
- 轴。Qiáng shàng guà zhe yì zhóu shān shuǐ huà.A landscape scroll hangs on the wall.
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 軸; 轴 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūcart, carriage
Sound part声符shēngfú
由
由yóu軸zhóu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 軸 pairs 車 (cart) with a part that gives the sound, 由; it pictures an axle passing through a cartwheel. The simplified 轴 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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