暮色 (mù sè) — dusk; twilight

Definition

noun
dusktwilight

Examples

  • 暮色,。
    mù sè Jiàn jiàn jiàng lín, tiān biān rǎn shàng le yī céng chéng hóng sè.
    Dusk gradually fell, and the horizon was tinged with a layer of orange-red.
  • 暮色,。
    Wǒ xǐ huan zài mù sè zhōng sàn bù, gǎn jué tè bié ān jìng.
    I like to take a walk in the twilight; it feels especially peaceful.
  • 暮色,。
    Nà fú huà miáo huì le xiāng cūn de mù sè, hěn yǒu shī yì.
    That painting depicts the dusk of the countryside, very poetic.

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.

暮mùevening
色sècolor

暮 evening describes the 色 color, giving dusk.

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
Sound part声符shēngfú
莫
莫mò暮mù
Same sound today

暮 adds 日 (sun) to 莫, the older picture of the sun setting. The added 日 marks the time of sunset.

Open 暮 →

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

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →

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