鸿 (hóng) — swan goose (a large migratory bird, used in compounds); (in compounds) letter, correspondence; (in compounds) great, grand
Definition
Bound morpheme (only appears in compounds like 鸿雁, 鸿沟, 鸿运), never used alone. As a standalone gloss it means 'swan goose'; in compounds it extends to 'great / vast' or 'correspondence'.
bound form
swan goose (a large migratory bird, used in compounds)(in compounds) lettercorrespondence(in compounds) greatgrand
Examples
- ，鸿。Qiū tiān dào le, hóng yàn kāi shǐ wǎng nán fēi.Autumn has arrived, and the swan geese start flying south.
- 。Tā men zhī jiān de hóng gōu yuè lái yuè shēn.The gap between them is getting deeper and deeper.
- ！Zhù nǐ xīn nián hóng yùn dāng tóu!Wish you great luck in the new year!
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 鴻; 鸿 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
鳥鳥niǎobird
Sound part声符shēngfú
江
江jiāng鴻hóng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 鴻 pairs 鳥 (bird) with 江 as a sound part; the simplified 鸿 is a later shorthand.
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