李 (lǐ) — plum (as a morpheme, e.g. in 李子); surname Li
Definition
bound form
plum (as a morpheme, e.g. in 李子)surname Li
Examples
- 李。Wǒ xìng lǐ.My surname is Li.
- 。Zhè zhǒng lǐ zi hěn tián.This kind of plum is very sweet.
- 李。lǐ Huā kāi le.The plum blossoms have bloomed.
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.
Sound part声符shēngfú
來
來lái李lǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The earliest form of 李 paired 來 (wheat) with 子; the 來 part later changed into 木, giving today's shape.
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