瞳 (tóng) — pupil (of the eye)

Definition

Bound form meaning 'pupil of the eye' — almost always appears in 瞳孔, never used alone.

bound form
pupil (of the eye)

Examples

  • 。
    Tā de yì zhī yǎn jing de tóng kǒng shì lán sè de.
    The pupil of one of his eyes is blue.
  • 。
    Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de tóng kǒng fǎn yìng.
    The doctor checked his pupillary response.
  • 。
    Guāng xiàn huì ràng tóng kǒng suō xiǎo.
    Light will make the pupil contract.

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
Sound part声符shēngfú
童
童tóng瞳tóng
Same sound today

瞳 is made of 目 (eye) plus 童, which gives the sound.

Appears in

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