橘 (jú) — tangerine; orange (bound form, used in compounds)
Definition
橘 is a bound form meaning 'tangerine / orange', used only inside compounds like 橘子, 橘汁, or 橘红色 — never standing alone.
bound form
tangerineorange (bound form, used in compounds)
Examples
- 。Wǒ mǎi le yí gè jú zi.I bought a tangerine.
- 。Zhè bēi jú zhī hěn hǎo hē.This glass of orange juice is delicious.
- 。Zhè zhǒng jú zi de yán sè hěn xiān yàn.The color of this kind of tangerine is very bright.
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
矞
矞yù橘jú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
橘 has 木 on the left, showing a tree, and 矞 on the right, giving the sound.
Appears in
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