锐角 (ruì jiǎo) — acute angle

Definition

noun
acute angle
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 锐角。
    Bǐ zhí jiǎo xiǎo de jiǎo shì ruì jiǎo.
    An angle smaller than a right angle is an acute angle.
  • 锐角。
    Zhè ge sān jiǎo xíng yǒu sān gè ruì jiǎo.
    This triangle has three acute angles.
  • 锐角。
    Qǐng huà yí gè ruì jiǎo.
    Please draw an acute angle.

Origin

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.

锐ruìsharp
角jiǎoangle

锐 contributes sharpness, 角 contributes angle, so the word names an acute angle.

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 銳; 锐 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
釒釒jīngold
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì銳ruì
Same sound today

The traditional form 銳 pairs 釒, a gold sign, with 兌 as the sound part; the simplified 锐 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 锐 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 角 is a picture of a horn.

Open 角 →

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