橘红色 (jú hóng sè) — orange color

Definition

noun
orange color
Easily confused

Examples

  • 橘红色。
    Tā chuān le yí jiàn jú hóng sè de chèn shān.
    He wore an orange-colored shirt.
  • 橘红色。
    Qiū tiān de yè zi biàn chéng le jú hóng sè.
    The autumn leaves turned orange.
  • 橘红色。
    Wǒ mǎi le yí liàng jú hóng sè de xiǎo qì chē.
    I bought a small orange car.

Origin

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.

橘红orange-red
橘júorange红hóngred
偏正Modifier + head
色sècolor

橘 and 红 give the orange-red hue, and 色 names it as a color.

Characters in this word

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
木木mù
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.

Open 橘 →

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
工gōng紅hóng
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.

Open 红 →

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

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →

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