泪珠 (lèi zhū) — teardrop | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

teardrop

Measure word · 颗

泪珠。
Tā de yǎn jing lǐ guà zhe lèi zhū.
She had teardrops in her eyes.
泪珠。
Yì kē lèi zhū cóng tā de liǎn shàng huá xià lái.
A teardrop slid down her face.
泪珠。
Tā cā le cā lèi zhū.
He wiped away a teardrop.

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.

泪 names tears, and 珠 names a bead, giving a tear bead.

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 淚; 泪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

戾

戾lì淚lèi

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

The traditional form 淚 uses 水 (water) and 戾 for sound; this describes 淚, not 泪.

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

𤣩Written in full as玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

朱

Same sound today

The left side 𤣩, a form of 玉, connects the character to jade, while the right side 朱 gives the sound.