颖 (yǐng) — intelligent, clever (in 聪颖); novel, original (in 新颖)
Definition
颖 is almost never used alone — it appears as the second character in set words like 聪颖 ('clever, smart') and 新颖 ('novel, original, fresh'). Don't try to use it by itself; learn the two-character words instead.
bound form
intelligentclever (in 聪颖)noveloriginal (in 新颖)
Examples
- 。Zhè ge hái zi fēi cháng cōng yǐng.This child is very intelligent.
- 。Tā de shè jì hěn xīn yǐng.Her design is very original.
- 。Cōng yǐng de xué shēng hěn kuài jiù xué huì le.The intelligent student learned it very quickly.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 穎; 颖 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
頃
頃qǐng穎yǐng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 穎 pairs 禾 (grain) with 頃, which gives the pronunciation; the simplified 颖 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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