(jié) — tangerine, mandarin orange (variant of 橘)

Definition

桔 (jié) is a written or southern-dialect variant of 橘 (jú); both mean 'tangerine/mandarin orange'. In standard Mandarin, prefer 橘.

bound form
tangerinemandarin orange (variant of 橘)

Examples

  • Zhè ge jié zi hěn tián.
    This tangerine is very sweet.
  • Tā xiǎng chī yí gè jié zi.
    He wants to eat a tangerine.
  • jié Zi de yán sè hěn piào liang.
    The tangerine's color is very pretty.

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
wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

桔 is built from 木, meaning wood, and 吉, which supplies the sound.

Appears in

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