嫩叶 (nèn xié) — tender leaf, newly grown leaf

Definition

noun
tender leafnewly grown leaf
Measure word · 片

Examples

  • ，嫩叶。
    Chūn tiān dào le, shù shàng cháng chū le xǔ duō nèn xié.
    Spring has arrived, and many tender leaves have grown on the trees.
  • 嫩叶，。
    Zhè zhǒng nèn xié kě yǐ yòng lái pào chá, wèi dào qīng xiāng.
    This kind of tender leaves can be used to make tea, with a fragrant taste.
  • 嫩叶，。
    Qīng chén de nèn xié shàng guà zhe lù zhū, fēi cháng měi lì.
    The tender leaves in the morning are covered with dewdrops, very beautiful.

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.

嫩nèntender
叶yèleaf

嫩 (tender) + 叶 (leaf) means a tender, newly grown leaf.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 嫩 →

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
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
十
十shí叶yè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 叶 pairs 口 (mouth) with 十 (ten) as an old form meaning cooperate; it later came to mean leaf because it sounded similar.

Open 叶 →

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