宣 (xuān) — (bound form) to declare, to proclaim; used in compounds like 宣布, 宣传, etc.
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'to declare/proclaim', almost never used alone — learners will see it inside compounds like 宣布 (announce), 宣传 (publicize/propaganda), 宣告 (declare).
bound form
to declareto proclaimused in compounds like 宣布宣传etc.
Examples
- 。Zhèng fǔ xuān bù le xīn de zhèng cè.The government announced new policies.
- 。Gōng sī zhèng zài dà lì xuān chuán zhè ge chǎn pǐn.The company is heavily promoting this product.
- 。Tā men xuān gào huì yì zhèng shì kāi shǐ.They declared the meeting officially started.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
亘
亘gèn宣xuān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
宣 pairs the roof 宀, pointing to the emperor's main hall, with 亘 as the sound part. From that hall meaning, it came to mean clear or evident.
Appears in
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