天竺葵 (tiān zhú kuí) — geranium

Definition

noun
geranium
Measure word · 棵

Examples

  • 天竺葵，。
    Zhè pén tiān zhú kuí kāi huā le, yán sè hěn piào liang.
    This pot of geraniums has bloomed, and the color is very beautiful.
  • 天竺葵。
    Mā ma zài yáng tái shàng zhǒng le jǐ kē tiān zhú kuí.
    Mom planted a few geraniums on the balcony.
  • 天竺葵。
    tiān zhú kuí Shì yì zhǒng cháng jiàn de guān shǎng zhí wù.
    Geraniums are a common ornamental plant.

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.

天竺India
天tiān竺zhú
葵kuíplant

天竺 names India and 葵 marks a plant, so the word denotes a plant linked to India.

Characters in this word

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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
二二èr
Sound part声符shēngfú
𥫗
竹zhú竺zhú
Same sound today

竺 puts 二 under 竹: 竹 gives the sound, and 二 is part of the meaning.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss, plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
癸
癸guǐ葵kuí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

葵 uses 艹 (grass, plant) to show it is a kind of plant and 癸 to give its sound.

Open 葵 →

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