郑 (zhèng) — surname Zheng; name of a state during the Zhou period
Definition
郑 (Zhèng) is used both as a common Chinese surname and as the name of a Zhou-period state (often written 郑国). In modern Chinese it is overwhelmingly encountered as a family name; the historical state sense appears mostly in classical history texts.
noun
surname Zhengname of a state during the Zhou period
Examples
- 郑。zhèng Guó shì lì shǐ shàng yí gè zhòng yào de guó jiā.The state of Zheng was an important country in history.
- 郑。zhèng Lǎo shī jiào wǒ men lì shǐ.Teacher Zheng teaches us history.
- 郑，。Zhè wèi shì zhèng xiān sheng, wǒ men de xīn tóng shì.This is Mr. Zheng, our new colleague.
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 鄭; 郑 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
奠
奠diàn鄭Zhèng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 鄭 uses 奠 to give the sound and 邑, a settlement, for the state name; the simplified 郑 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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