浑浊 (hún zhuó) — muddy, turbid

Definition

adjective
muddyturbid

Examples

  • 浑浊。
    Zhè tiáo hé de shuǐ hěn hún zhuó.
    The water in this river is very muddy.
  • 浑浊。
    Yǔ hòu de kōng qì bú zài hún zhuó.
    After the rain, the air is no longer turbid.
  • ，浑浊。
    Jīng guò guò lǜ, hún zhuó de shuǐ biàn de qīng chè le.
    After filtering, the muddy water became clear.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

浑húnturbid
浊zhuómurky

浑, 'turbid', and 浊, 'murky', together emphasize muddy, unclear water.

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 渾; 浑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐriver
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn渾hún
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 渾 pairs 氵 (river) with 軍 to give the sound; the simplified 浑 is a later shorthand, and its right side is not the historical component.

Open 浑 →

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 濁; 浊 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
蜀
蜀shǔ濁zhuó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 濁 pairs 氵 (water) with 蜀, which gives the pronunciation; the simplified 浊 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the original part.

Open 浊 →

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