淑 (shū) — (bound form) refined, virtuous (of a woman)
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'refined, virtuous' — almost always appears inside 淑女 ('refined lady') and 贤淑 ('virtuous and gentle'). You won't use 淑 alone in a sentence.
bound form
refinedvirtuous (of a woman)
Examples
- ，。Tā shì yí wèi shū nǚ, jǔ zhǐ yōu yǎ.She is a refined lady with elegant manners.
- ，淑。Zài gǔ dài, nǚ xìng yǐ xián shū wèi měi dé.In ancient times, women regarded virtue and refinement as a virtue.
- 。Zhè běn shū miáo xiě le gǔ dài shū nǚ de rì cháng shēng huó.This book describes the daily life of ancient refined ladies.
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.
The left part 氵 is a form of 水 (water), and the right part 叔 gives the character its sound.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.