原着 (yuán zhù) — original work (as opposed to a translation, ada…

Definition

noun

original work (as opposed to a translation, adaptation, or abridgment)

Measure word · 个

原着。
Zhè bù diàn yǐng gǎi biān zì yí bù yuán zhù.
This movie was adapted from an original work.
原着。
Fān yì běn hé yuán zhù zài fēng gé shàng yǒu suǒ bù tóng.
The translation and the original work differ in style.
原着。
Xué zhě men cháng cháng zhēng lùn yuán zhù de chuàng zuò nián dài.
Scholars often debate the creation date of the original work.

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.

着zhewritten work

原 means 'original', and 着 denotes a written work, so the whole is the original work.

Characters in this word

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

原 combines 泉 (spring) and 厂 (cliff), picturing a spring bursting from a cliff-side, which gives the sense of origin or source.

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 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě著zháo

Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

Appears in