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希拉里 (Xī lā lǐ) — Hillary (Clinton)

Definition

noun
Hillary (Clinton)

Examples

  • 希拉里。
    Xī lā lǐ Shì yí wèi měi guó zhèng zhì jiā.
    Hillary is an American politician.
  • 希拉里。
    Hěn duō rén rèn wéi Xī lā lǐ hěn yǒu yǐng xiǎng lì.
    Many people think Hillary is very influential.
  • 希拉里2016。
    Xī lā lǐ Zài 2016 nián cān jiā le zǒng tǒng xuǎn jǔ.
    Hillary participated in the 2016 presidential election.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

希 is made from 爻 and 巾, which means cloth. How those parts connect to “hope” is not explained.

Open 希 →

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
立
立lì拉lā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拉 pairs 手 (hand) with 立, a component that supplies the sound.

Open 拉 →

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 裡; 里 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 里 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (里, 里面) it is 裡; in others (公里) it is 里 or 裏.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衤Written in full as衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
里
里lǐ裡lǐ
Same sound today

The form 裡 pairs 衤 (clothes) with 里 as a sound component.

Open 里 →
Appears in
People (General)

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