水波 (shuǐ bō) — ripple; wave (on water) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

ripplewave (on water)

Examples

水波。
Hú miàn shàng fàn qǐ yì céng céng shuǐ bō.
Layers of ripples rise on the lake.
，水波。
Wēi fēng fú guò, shuǐ bō qīng qīng de dàng yàng kāi.
A gentle breeze passes, and the ripples spread softly.
水波。
Yuè guāng xià de shuǐ bō shǎn shuò zhe yín guāng.
The ripples shimmer with silver light under the moonlight.

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.

水 points to water, and 波 gives the moving wave on its surface.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

氵皮波

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

皮

皮pí波bō

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

The left side 氵 is water, and the right side 皮 gives the sound.

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