婆娑 (pó suō) — to dance or sway gracefully; to whirl (of leaves, shadows, etc.)

Definition

Literary verb for something swaying or whirling gracefully (branches, shadows, a dancer). Often reduplicated as 婆娑起舞 or used as 婆娑的树影 — strongly written/poetic, not everyday speech.

verb
to dance or sway gracefullyto whirl (of leaves, shadows, etc.)
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，婆娑。
    Wēi fēng chuī guò, liǔ zhī piān piān pó suō.
    The breeze passes, and willow branches dance gracefully.
  • 婆娑，。
    Tā de wǔ zī ē nuó pó suō, lìng rén táo zuì.
    Her dancing posture is graceful and swaying, intoxicating the audience.
  • ，婆娑，。
    Xī yáng xià, shù yǐng pó suō, xiǎn de gé wài jìng mì.
    Under the setting sun, tree shadows sway, appearing especially tranquil.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

婆pó
娑suō

婆 and 娑 only form the image of swaying dance together; neither carries its usual meaning here.

Sound-only characters

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
波
波bō婆pó
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

婆 pairs 女 (woman) with 波, which gives the sound. The 女 part shows the character is about a woman.

Open 婆 →

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
沙
沙shā娑
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

娑 combines 女, a woman, with 沙 to give the sound shā.

Open 娑 →

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