天蓝色 (tiān lán sè) — sky blue, azure

Definition

noun

sky blueazure

天蓝色，。
Zhè jiàn chèn shān shì tiān lán sè de, hěn hǎo kàn.
This shirt is sky blue, very nice.
天蓝色，。
Tiān kōng shì tiān lán sè de, méi yǒu yún.
The sky is sky blue, without clouds.
天蓝色。
Tā mǎi le yí liàng tiān lán sè de qì chē.
He bought a sky blue car.

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.

天蓝sky blue

偏正Modifier + head

天 and 蓝 give sky-blue, and 色 names it as a color.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 藍; 蓝 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

監

監jiān藍lán

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 蓝, the traditional form 藍 has 艸, grass, above 監, which gives the sound.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.