狭 (xiá) — narrow
Definition
adjective
narrow
Easily confused
- 挟xiélook-aliketo hold under the arm; to embrace
- 匣xiásound-alike(bound form) small box, case
- 侠xiálook-alikechivalrous hero; knight-errant (in Chinese martial arts and folklore)
- 瑕xiásound-alike(bound form) flaw, blemish, defect
- 峡xiálook-alikegorge
- 霞xiásound-alike(bound form) rosy cloud; morning/evening glow
Examples
- 。Zhè tiáo xiá zhǎi de xiǎo lù hěn nán zǒu.This narrow path is hard to walk on.
- 。Nà ge xiá xiǎo de fáng jiān zhī fàng dé xià yì zhāng chuáng.That cramped room can only fit one bed.
- 。Tā men zài xiá cháng de zǒu láng lǐ xiāng yù.They met in the long and narrow corridor.
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 狹; 狭 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
夾
夾jiā狹xiá
Same sound today
The traditional form 狹 pairs 犭 (dog) with 夾 as a sound part; the simplified 狭 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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