安魂曲 (ān hún qū) — requiem

Definition

noun
requiem

Examples

  • 安魂曲。
    Tā zhèng zài yǎn zòu mò zhā tè de ān hún qū.
    He is playing Mozart's Requiem.
  • 安魂曲。
    Zhè shǒu ān hún qū fēi cháng gǎn rén.
    This requiem is very touching.
  • 安魂曲。
    Tā zuì xǐ huan tīng de shì bèi duō fēn de ān hún qū.
    What he likes most is Beethoven's Requiem.

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.

安魂calm the soul
安āncalm魂húnsoul
动宾Verb + object
曲qǔsong

安 means calm, 魂 means soul, and 曲 means song.

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

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
鬼鬼guǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
云
云yún魂hún(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

魂 is made from 鬼, the ghost component, plus 云, which supplies the sound.

Open 魂 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

曲 is drawn as a bent object, matching the meaning 'bend'.

Open 曲 →

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