青苔 (qīng tái) — moss | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

moss

Examples

青苔，。
Shí tou shàng de qīng tái hěn huá, zǒu lù yào xiǎo xīn.
The moss on the stones is very slippery; be careful when walking.
青苔。
Lǎo fáng zi de qiáng jiǎo zhǎng mǎn le qīng tái.
The corners of the old house are covered with moss.
，青苔。
Yǔ hòu, dì shàng de qīng tái biàn de gèng lǜ le.
After the rain, the moss on the ground became greener.

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.

“青” gives the green color and “苔” names moss; together they mean green moss.

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.

生生shēng
井井jǐng

An early form of 青 combined 生 and 井, both used for sound; the modern form has changed.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

台

台tái苔tái

Same sound today

苔 combines 艸, the plant form, with 台, which gives it its sound.

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