杏树 (xìng shù) — apricot tree | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

apricot tree

Measure word · 棵

杏树。
Yuàn zi lǐ zhǒng le yì kē xìng shù.
An apricot tree was planted in the yard.
杏树。
Chūn tiān xìng shù kāi mǎn le fěn bái sè de huā.
In spring, the apricot tree is covered with pinkish-white flowers.
杏树。
Zhè kē xìng shù yǐ jīng huó le sān shí duō nián.
This apricot tree has been alive for over thirty years.

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.

The characters '杏' apricot and '树' tree combine to mean a tree bearing apricots.

Characters in this word

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

木口杏

杏 pairs 木 (tree) with 口 (mouth), perhaps showing that the tree’s fruit is tasty.

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 樹; 树 is its simplified writing.

木尌樹

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

尌

尌shù樹shù

Same sound today

Originally 尌, 'to plant a tree', was written alone; the traditional form 樹 adds 木, 'tree', to it to differentiate.