园 (yuán) — garden; park; (in compounds) a place for a specific purpose (e.g., kindergarten, botanical garden)
Definition
园 is the bound morpheme meaning 'garden' or 'park' — it almost never stands alone, always appearing as part of a compound like 公园 (park) or 花园 (flower garden). Don't confuse with 院子, which is a courtyard attached to a house.
noun
gardenpark(in compounds) a place for a specific purpose (e.g., kindergarten, botanical garden)
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 。Zhè ge huā yuán zhēn piào liang.This flower garden is really beautiful.
- 。Wǒ cháng qù gōng yuán sàn bù.I often go to the park for a walk.
- 。Mèi mei zài yòu ér yuán xué huà huà.My little sister learns painting at kindergarten.
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
囗囗wéi
In 园, 元 sits inside 囗, and 元 gives the sound.
Appears in
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