新 (xīn) — new
Definition
Plain adjective 'new' (new things, new home, new phone). 新鲜 is more about freshness or novelty of experiences; 新奇 stresses being strange and unusual.
adjective
new
Easily confused
Examples
- 。Wǒ yǒu yì běn xīn shū.I have a new book.
- 。Tā yǒu yí gè xīn shǒu jī.He has a new cellphone.
- 新。Zhè shì wǒ men de xīn jiā.This is our new home.
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.
假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.
The shape originally paired 斤, for chopping wood, with 辛 for sound. It was borrowed for its sound to write 新, so the chopping-wood parts are unrelated to 'new'.
Appears in
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