银色 (yín sè) — silver (color); (archaic) grade of silver in co…

Definition

noun

silver (color)(archaic) grade of silver in coins

银色。
Wǒ xǐ huan yín sè de qì chē.
I like silver cars.
银色，。
Zhè tiáo qún zi shì yín sè de, hěn piào liang.
This dress is silver, very pretty.
银色。
Tā mǎi le yí bù yín sè de shǒu jī.
He bought a silver phone.

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” names the metal silver and “色” names color, so the word means the color of silver.

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.

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

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