银灰色 (yín huī sè) — silver-gray (color)

Definition

noun

silver-gray (color)

银灰色。
Tā chuān le yí jiàn yín huī sè de dà yī.
She wore a silver-gray coat.
银灰色。
Zhè liàng yín huī sè de qì chē kàn qǐ lái hěn gāo jí.
This silver-gray car looks very upscale.
银灰色，。
Wǒ xǐ huan yín huī sè, yīn wèi tā hěn bǎi dā.
I like silver-gray because it goes with everything.

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.

银灰silver-gray

偏正Modifier + head

'银灰' names the silver-gray tone, and '色' names the color.

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.

灰 shows 火 (fire) that can be touched by 又 (hand), meaning ash.

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.