馀 (yú) — (literary) variant of 余, meaning surplus, remainder, or more than
Definition
馀 is the literary/traditional form of 余 — same meaning ('surplus, remainder'), but used in written or classical-style phrases rather than everyday speech.
noun
(literary) variant of 余meaning surplusremainderor more than
Easily confused
- 除chúlook-alike(verb) to remove; to eliminate
- 于yúsound-alike(preposition) at, in, on (used in formal/literary contexts for time or place)
- 徐xúlook-alike(literary, stative verb/adverb) slow; slowly; gently
- 鱼yúsound-alikefish
- 涂túlook-aliketo apply (paint, cream, etc.), to smear, to daub
- 瑜yúsound-alikefine jade
Examples
- 馀。Tā zuò shì zǒng shì bù yí yú lì.He always spares no effort when doing things.
- 馀。Zhè shǒu gē de yú yīn hái zài wǒ ěr biān huí xiǎng.The lingering sound of this song still echoes in my ears.
- 馀。Zhè cì huì yì de yú dì yǐ jīng bù duō le.There isn't much leeway left for this meeting.
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 餘; 馀 is its simplified writing.
The traditional form 餘 pairs 食 with a sound part, 余; the simplified 馀 is a later abbreviation.
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