泽 (zé) — (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
Easily confused
- 译yìlook-aliketo translate
- 则zésound-alike(conjunction) but; then (indicating contrast or consequence)
- 择zélook-aliketo select, to choose (formal/literary)
- 则zésound-alike(classifier) for news items, diary entries, stories, and other written records
- 铎duólook-alikea type of ancient Chinese bell used for issuing proclamations or in times of war
- 责zésound-alikeduty, responsibility (bound form, as in 责任)
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xíngshēngMost 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.
Sound part声符shēngfú
睪
睪yì澤zé
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.
Appears in
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