银光 (yín guāng) — silvery light; silvery glow

Definition

noun

silvery lightsilvery glow

，银光。
Yuè guāng zhào zài hú shàng, shuǐ miàn fā chū yín guāng.
Moonlight shines on the lake, and the water surface gives off a silvery glow.
银光。
Xīn mǎi de bēi zi zài yáng guāng xià shǎn zhe yín guāng.
The newly bought cup sparkles with a silvery glow in the sunlight.
银光。
Yuǎn fāng de xuě shān dǐng shàng yǒu yí piàn yín guāng.
On the distant snowy mountain top, there is a patch of silvery light.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

银 gives the silver-like quality and 光 gives the light, so the word means silvery light.

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 銀; 银 is its simplified writing.

金艮銀

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

艮

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

The traditional form 銀 has 金, meaning metal, and 艮, used for the sound; the simplified 银 is a shorthand.

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

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.