左侧 (zuǒ cè) — left side | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

left side

Examples

左侧。
Qǐng bǎ chē tíng zài zuǒ cè.
Please park the car on the left side.
左侧。
zuǒ cè De chuāng hu xū yào xiū lǐ.
The window on the left side needs repair.
左侧。
Cóng zuǒ cè shàng lóu jiù néng zhǎo dào bàn gōng shì.
Go upstairs from the left side and you'll find the office.

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.

左 'left' with 侧 'side' means the side on the left.

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.

𠂇工左

Meaning part形符xíngfú

工工gōngwork

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠂇

𠂇𠂇左zuǒ

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

左 grew from the picture 𠂇, a left hand, with 工 (work) added later.

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 側; 侧 is its simplified writing.

亻則側

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

則

則zé側cè

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 側 has 亻, a person, and uses 則 to show its sound. The simplified 侧 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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