优 (yōu) — (bound form) excellent, superior (e.g., 优秀 yōuxiù, 优美 yōuměi); (bound form) ample, generous (e.g., 优厚 yōuhòu); (bound form) preferential, prioritized (e.g., 优惠 yōuhuì, 优先 yōuxiān)
Definition
优 (yōu) is a bound morpheme meaning 'excellent' or 'preferential' — it only appears inside compounds like 优秀, 优惠, 优先, never on its own.
bound form
excellentsuperior (e.g., 优秀 yōuxiù, 优美 yōuměi)amplegenerous (e.g., 优厚 yōuhòu)preferentialprioritized (e.g., 优惠 yōuhuì, 优先 yōuxiān)
Examples
- 。Tā zhè cì kǎo shì qǔ dé le yōu xiù de chéng jì.He achieved excellent results in this exam.
- ，。Zhè jiā chāo shì de dōng xī hěn yōu huì, wǒ jīng cháng lái mǎi.The things at this supermarket are very discounted; I often come to buy.
- ，。Yù dào wēi xiǎn shí, wǒ men yīng gāi yōu xiān bǎo hù lǎo rén hé hái zi.When in danger, we should give priority to protecting the elderly and children.
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 優; 优 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
憂
憂yōu優yōu
Same sound today
The traditional form 優 combines 亻 (人, person) with 憂 for the sound; the simplified 优 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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