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光环 (guāng huán) — halo, ring of light (literal); (fig.) glory, splendor, aura of prestige

Definition

光环 emphasizes the image of a ring of light around a person or thing, highlighting the visual/aura sense of prestige. 荣誉 and 光荣 stress honor earned through deeds, not appearance.

noun
haloring of light (literal)(fig.) glorysplendoraura of prestige
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 光环。
    Yuè liang zhōu wéi yǒu yí gè mó hu de guāng huán.
    There is a faint halo around the moon.
  • ，光环。
    Tā huò dé le nuò bèi ěr jiǎng, cóng cǐ dài shàng le kē xué jiā de guāng huán.
    He won the Nobel Prize and has since worn the halo of a scientist.
  • 光环。
    Zhè ge pǐn pái de guāng huán xī yǐn le wú shù xiāo fèi zhě.
    The brand's halo attracts countless consumers.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

光guānglight
环huánring

光 is light, and 环 is ring, making a ring of light.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

Most 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 環; 环 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
睘
睘qióng環huán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 環 pairs 玉 (jade) with a sound part; the simplified 环 is a shorthand and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 环 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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