伦 (lún) — (bound form) ethics, moral principles; (bound form) human relations (especially the Confucian five relationships)
Definition
伦 is a bound morpheme meaning 'ethics, moral order' or 'human relations.' It almost never stands alone — you'll meet it as 伦理 (ethics) and 人伦 / 人际关系 (human relations).
bound form
ethicsmoral principleshuman relations (especially the Confucian five relationships)
Examples
- 。Zhè ge wèn tí shè jí jī běn de lún lǐ yuán zé.This issue involves basic ethical principles.
- 伦。Chuán tǒng shè huì fēi cháng zhòng shì rén lún guān xì.Traditional society placed great importance on human relations.
- 。Tā de xíng wéi wéi bèi le lún lǐ.His behavior violates ethics.
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 倫; 伦 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
侖
侖lún倫lún
Same sound today
The traditional form 倫 uses 人 to show people and 侖 to give its sound; the simplified 伦 is a later shorthand.
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