清 (qīng) — (adjective) clear, clean, pure (of water, air, mind, sound); (adjective) distinct, clear (of speech, handwriting, boundaries); (verb) to clear up, to settle (an account), to clear (a space or record)
Definition
清 is the root morpheme in a family of 清- words. As an adjective, it means 'clear/pure' (water, air, mind); 清楚 is the everyday form for 'clear/distinct' in speech or vision, 清晰 emphasizes clarity of image or sound.
adjective
clearcleanpure (of water, air, mind, sound)distinctclear (of speech, handwriting, boundaries)
verb
to clear upto settle (an account)to clear (a space or record)
Examples
- 清。Zhè bēi shuǐ hěn qīng.This glass of water is very clear.
- 清。Tā de fā yīn bù qīng.His pronunciation is not clear.
- 清。Wǒ men xiān bǎ zhàng qīng le zài shuō.Let's settle the accounts first before we talk.
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.
清 has 氵 (water) on the left and 青 on the right to show its sound.
Appears in
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