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太阳 (tài yáng) — sun

Definition

太阳 (tàiyáng) is the everyday noun 'sun' as a celestial body and its light/heat. 日 is the written/formal 'sun' (and 'day'); 太阳能 refers to solar energy.

noun
sun
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 太阳。
    Jīn tiān tài yáng zhēn dà.
    The sun is really bright today.
  • 太阳。
    Wǒ xǐ huan zài tài yáng xià kàn shū.
    I like reading under the sun.
  • 太阳。
    Dōng tiān de shí hou tài yáng chū lái dé wǎn.
    In winter the sun comes out late.

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.

太tàigreat
阳yángsun

太阳 joins 太 meaning great with 阳 meaning sun to name the sun.

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.

太 is a modified form of 大, with an extra dot added to show 'too big'.

Open 太 →

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 陽; 阳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fùhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng陽yáng
Same sound today

In the traditional form 陽, 阜 shows a hill and 昜 is the older character for the word, tied to sunshine and the sound; simplified 阳 is a later shorthand.

Open 阳 →
Appears in
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