额 (é) — forehead; specified amount or number (suffix); horizontal inscribed tablet (historical)
Definition
Mostly seen as a suffix meaning 'fixed quota or amount' (名额, 总额, 余额), not a stand-alone word. Its full noun sense 'forehead' is written/formal; 脑门 is the everyday spoken word for forehead.
noun
foreheadspecified amount or number (suffix)horizontal inscribed tablet (historical)
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 额。Tā de é shàng yǒu yí dào bā.He has a scar on his forehead.
- ，。Zhè cì de míng é yǒu xiàn, qǐng jǐn zǎo shēn qǐng.The quota for this time is limited, please apply as soon as possible.
- 匾额。Miào mén kǒu de biǎn é hěn gǔ lǎo.The plaque at the temple gate is very old.
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 額; 额 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
客
客kè額é
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 額 combines 頁 (head), which points to the meaning, with 客, which gives the sound. The simplified 额 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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