乌 (wū) — crow (in compounds such as 乌鸦); black; dark (in compounds such as 乌云, 乌黑)
Definition
Bound morpheme (not used alone) meaning 'crow' or 'black/dark', as in 乌鸦 (crow) and 乌云 (dark cloud). The standalone character carries both senses; learners will encounter it only inside compounds.
bound form
crow (in compounds such as 乌鸦)blackdark (in compounds such as 乌云, 乌黑)
Examples
- 。wū Yā zài shù shàng.A crow is in the tree.
- ，。Tiān shàng yǒu yì duǒ wū yún, yào xià yǔ le.There is a dark cloud in the sky; it's going to rain.
- 。Tā de tóu fa wū hēi fā liàng.Her hair is jet black and shiny.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 烏; 乌 is its simplified writing.
The traditional form 烏 is a drawing of a bird. The simplified 乌 is a later abbreviation.
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