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周二 (zhōu èr) — Tuesday

Definition

周二 (zhōu èr) is the spoken, written form of 'Tuesday.' It pairs with 下 (下周二 next Tuesday) and functions as a time word placed before or after the verb (今天周二我们… or 我们周二去…).

noun
Tuesday

Examples

  • 周二。
    Jīn tiān zhōu èr wǒ men yǒu gè zhòng yào huì yì.
    We have an important meeting on Tuesday.
  • 周二？。
    Nǐ zhōu èr yǒu kòng ma? yì qǐ chī wǎn fàn ba.
    Are you free on Tuesday? Let's have dinner together.
  • 周二，。
    Xià zhōu èr shì tā de shēng rì, wǒ mǎi le lǐ wù.
    Next Tuesday is her birthday, and I bought a gift.

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.

周zhōuweek
二èrsecond

周 (week) and 二 (second) combine to mean the second day of the week.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The oldest form of 周 drew a jade artifact with carved patterns. It was later borrowed for a place name, so an extra mark was added to distinguish it.

Open 周 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →
Appears in
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