壤 (rǎng) — (bound form) soil, earth (used in compounds)

Definition

壤 is a bound form meaning 'soil' or 'territory', almost always seen inside two-word compounds: 土壤 (soil), 接壤 (to border), 天壤之别 (worlds apart). On its own it rarely stands alone — it's a building block, not a word you say by itself.

bound form
soilearth (used in compounds)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè piàn tǔ rǎng fēi cháng féi wò.
    This patch of soil is very fertile.
  • ，。
    Liǎng guó jiē rǎng, guān xì yì zhí hěn yǒu hǎo.
    The two countries border each other and have always had friendly relations.
  • 。
    Tā men de shēng huó zhēn shì tiān rǎng zhī bié.
    Their lives are truly worlds apart.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most 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
土土tǔearth, dirt
Sound part声符shēngfú
襄
襄xiāng壤rǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 土 is earth or dirt, showing the meaning; the right side 襄 gives the sound.

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