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浪 (làng) — wave (on water or metaphorical)

Definition

Noun: a wave on water (海浪), or a wave in the metaphorical sense (浪潮, e.g. a surge of feeling or trend). At HSK 7, treat it as the literal noun — note that as a verb or adjective the character means 'wasteful, unrestrained', a separate sense.

noun
wave (on water or metaphorical)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 浪。
    Hǎi shàng de làng hěn dà.
    The waves on the sea are very big.
  • 浪。
    Yí zhèn dà làng bǎ chuán dǎ fān le.
    A big wave capsized the boat.
  • 。
    Tā xǐ huan chōng làng.
    He likes surfing.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
良
良liáng浪làng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

浪 pairs 水 (water) with 良, which supplies the sound. The water part points to its meaning of waves.

Appears in
Geography & Landforms5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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