残存 (cán cún) — to remain, to survive, to be left over | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

残存 means something still remains or survives after most has been lost, destroyed, or used up — a remnant of the past. It emphasizes that what is left is a small surviving trace, not just any remainder.

verb

to remainto surviveto be left over

Examples

残存。
Zhè xiē gǔ lǎo de jiàn zhù réng rán cán cún.
These ancient buildings still remain.
残存。
Sēn lín lǐ cán cún zhe yì xiē xī yǒu zhí wù.
Some rare plants survive in the forest.
，残存。
Jīng guò zhàn zhēng, chéng shì zhōng cán cún de jiàn zhù yǐ jīng bù duō le.
After the war, the buildings that remain in the city are not many.

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.

残cánremaining

残 'remaining' and 存 'exist' combine to mean survive in leftover form.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 殘; 残 is its simplified writing.

歹戔殘

Meaning part形符xíngfú

歹歹dǎivicious, bones

Sound part声符shēngfú

戔

戔jiān殘cán

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

The traditional form 殘 pairs 歹, a bone shape for injury, with 戔 for its sound; the simplified 残 is a later shorthand.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

才

才cái存cún

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

存 pairs 子 with 才, which was used for the sound.

Appears in

Change & Process

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