朦 (méng) — (bound morpheme) used in 朦胧 (ménglóng) meaning dim, hazy, blurry

Definition

A bound morpheme with no standalone use — it only appears in 朦胧 (ménglóng) 'dim, hazy, blurry' (sight, atmosphere, or poetic style).

bound form
(bound morpheme) used in 朦胧 (ménglóng) meaning dimhazyblurry

Examples

  • ,。
    Yuè guāng xià, jǐng sè fēi cháng méng lóng.
    Under the moonlight, the scenery was very hazy.
  • ,。
    Tā zuì dé liǎng yǎn méng lóng, kàn bù qīng lù le.
    He was so drunk his eyes were blurry and he couldn't see the road clearly.
  • ,。
    Zhè shǒu shī xiě dé méng lóng hán xù, hěn yǒu yì jìng.
    This poem is written in a hazy and implicit style, full of artistic conception.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
月月yuèmoon
Sound part声符shēngfú
蒙
Same sound today

In 朦, the left 月 is the moon itself, and the right 蒙 gives the sound.

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