() — (bound form) marsh, swamp; body of water; (bound form) luster, sheen, gloss

Definition

泽 (zé) is a bound form — it almost never stands alone. In 沼泽 it means 'marsh/swamp'; in 光泽 or 色泽 it means 'luster/sheen', the shine of a surface.

bound form
marshswampbody of waterlustersheengloss

Examples

  • Zhè piàn zhǎo zé lǐ yǒu hěn duō niǎo.
    There are many birds in this swamp.
  • Zhè kē zhēn zhū de guāng zé hěn piào liang.
    The luster of this pearl is very beautiful.
  • Zhè zhǒng sī chóu de sè zé fēi cháng róu hé.
    The color and luster of this silk are very soft.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 澤; 泽 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

The traditional form 澤 pairs 水 (water) with 睪 for the sound; the simplified 泽 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

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