(zhuāng) — (bound form) village, hamlet (as in 村庄, 农庄); (bound form) manor, estate (as in 庄园); (bound form) serious, solemn (as in 庄严, 端庄)

Definition

庄 is a bound morpheme meaning 'village, manor, or solemn' that always attaches to another character (村庄 village, 庄园 estate, 庄严 solemn). It is never used as a standalone word.

bound form
villagehamlet (as in 村庄, 农庄)manorestate (as in 庄园)serioussolemn (as in 庄严, 端庄)

Examples

  • Tā de tài dù hěn zhuāng yán, ràng rén bù gǎn shuō huà.
    His attitude was very solemn, making people afraid to speak.
  • Zhè ge gǔ lǎo de zhuāng yuán yǐ jīng yǒu yì bǎi duō nián de lì shǐ le.
    This ancient manor has a history of over a hundred years.
  • Zhè ge cūn zhuāng hěn ān jìng, shì hé yǎng lǎo.
    This village is very quiet, suitable for retiring.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 莊; 庄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
zhuàngzhuāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 莊 pairs 艸 (grass) with 壯 as a sound part; the simplified 庄 is a later shorthand.

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