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碧玉 (bì yù) — jasper

Definition

noun
jasper
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 碧玉。
    Zhè kuài bì yù yán sè hěn lǜ.
    This piece of jasper is very green in color.
  • 碧玉。
    Tā dài le yì tiáo bì yù xiàng liàn.
    She wore a jasper necklace.
  • 碧玉？
    Nǐ jiàn guò bì yù zuò de yìn zhāng ma?
    Have you ever seen a seal made of jasper?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

碧bìgreen jade
玉yùjade

“碧” green jade + “玉” jade gives green jade or jasper.

Characters in this word

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
王Written in full as玉yùjade
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái碧bì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

碧 combines 王 (jade, written fully as 玉) and 石 (stone), with 白 giving the sound.

Open 碧 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

玉 was drawn as a ritual jade piece, or as jade pieces strung together, and was made distinct from 王 by adding a dot.

Open 玉 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 6

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