朱红 (zhū hóng) — vermilion (bright red, traditionally used in Ch…

Definition

A vivid, traditional red used in Chinese architecture, painting, and wedding décor — a brighter, more saturated red than plain 红.

adjective

vermilion (bright red, traditionally used in Chinese architecture and painting)

朱红。
Gù gōng de gōng qiáng dōu shuā chéng le zhū hóng sè.
The palace walls of the Forbidden City are all painted vermilion.
朱红。
Zhè fú gōng bǐ huà de mǔ dān yòng le zhū hóng lái diǎn rǎn huā bàn.
This gongbi painting uses vermilion to tint the peony petals.
朱红。
Xīn niáng de jià yī shàng xiù zhe zhū hóng de lóng fèng tú àn.
The bride's wedding gown is embroidered with vermilion dragon and phoenix patterns.

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.

朱zhūcinnabar

朱 gives the color cinnabar, and 红 gives red, together meaning vermilion.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The shape of 朱 draws a tree, with an extra dot-like stroke at the middle marking its core.

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 紅; 红 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìsilk

Sound part声符shēngfú

工

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

The traditional form 紅 puts 糸 (silk) next to 工, which gives the sound; the simplified 红 is a later shorthand.

Appears in