银杏 (yín xìng) — ginkgo tree; ginkgo nut

Definition

noun

ginkgo treeginkgo nut

Measure word · 棵

，银杏。
Qiū tiān dào le, yín xìng de yè zi biàn huáng le.
Autumn has arrived, and the ginkgo leaves have turned yellow.
银杏。
Zhè kē yín xìng yǐ jīng huó le yì qiān duō nián.
This ginkgo tree has lived for over a thousand years.
银杏，。
yín xìng De guǒ shí kě yǐ chī, dàn yí cì bù néng chī tài duō.
Ginkgo nuts are edible, but you shouldn't eat too many at once.

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 is silver, and 杏 is apricot, giving the silver-apricot tree.

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.

木口杏

杏 pairs 木 (tree) with 口 (mouth), perhaps showing that the tree’s fruit is tasty.