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形容词 (xíng róng cí) — adjective (in Chinese grammar, adjectives are stative verbs that can directly serve as predicates without a copula)

Definition

The grammar term for 'adjective' in Chinese linguistics. Note that 形容词 functions as a stative verb and can serve as the predicate directly, without 是.

noun
adjective (in Chinese grammar, adjectives are stative verbs that can directly serve as predicates without a copula)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 形容词。
    Qǐng yòng yì xíng róng cí lái xíng róng zhè ge fēng jǐng.
    Please use an adjective to describe this scenery.
  • 形容词⽤''。
    Hàn yǔ de xíng róng cí kě yǐ bù ⽤ ' shì ' biàn chéng jù zi.
    Chinese adjectives can form a sentence without using '是'.
  • 形容词。
    Zhè ge xíng róng cí xíng róng rén hěn cōng ming.
    This adjective describes a person as very smart.

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.

形容describe form and appearance
形xíngform容róngappearance
联合Coordinate
词cíword

「形容」 depicts form and appearance, and 「词」 means word, so it names a word that describes qualities.

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
井
井jǐng形xíng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

形 is made from 彡 and 井, with 井 providing the sound.

Open 形 →

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

In 容, the 宀 (roof) part points to holding or containing, and 公 gives the sound.

Open 容 →

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 詞; 词 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
司
司sī詞cí(r)
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 詞 uses 言, meaning speech, and 司 to show how it was pronounced; the simplified 词 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 词 →
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