囊 (nāng) — sack; purse; pocket
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'bag/pouch' that only appears as part of a compound, never alone. The common HSK 7 form is 囊袋 (pouch), as shown in the examples. Note: 囊 also reads náng in words like 囊肿 ('cyst').
bound form
sackpursepocket
Examples
- 囊。Tā bǎ qián fàng jìn nāng dài lǐ.He put the money into the pouch.
- 囊。Zhè ge nāng dài hěn jiē shi.This pouch is very sturdy.
- 囊。Tā bēi zhe yí gè dà nāng dài.He is carrying a big pouch.
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.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
㯻㯻㯻bag
Sound part声符shēngfú
襄
襄xiāng囊náng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
囊 is made from 㯻, a tied bag with items inside, plus an abbreviated form of 襄 that gives the sound.
Appears in
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