画 (huà) — (verb) to draw; to paint; (noun) picture; painting
Definition
The everyday word for 'to draw/paint' (verb) and 'drawing/painting' (noun). 绘画 is the more formal, art-focused equivalent; 图图 refers to a picture as a finished object.
verb
to drawto paint
noun
picturepainting
Measure word · 幅, 张
Examples
- 画。Wǒ huà le yì kē dà shù.I drew a big tree.
- 画？Nǐ men zài huà shén me?What are you drawing?
- 画。Qiáng shàng yǒu yì fú huà.There is a painting on the wall.
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 畫; 画 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùbrush
Sound part声符shēngfú
規
規guī畫huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 畫 pairs 聿, a brush, with 規 for its sound. The simplified 画 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the old parts.
Appears in
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