种种 (zhǒng zhǒng) — various kinds of; all sorts of; a variety of | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A written bound modifier meaning 'all sorts of / various' — always precedes a noun (种种原因, 种种困难) and sounds more formal than spoken alternatives like 各种.

bound form

various kinds ofall sorts ofa variety of

Examples

种种，。
Yóu yú zhǒng zhǒng yuán yīn, tā méi néng àn shí wán chéng gōng zuò.
Due to various reasons, he couldn't finish the work on time.
种种，。
Miàn duì zhǒng zhǒng kùn nan, tā men yī rán jiān chí le xià lái.
Facing all sorts of difficulties, they still persevered.
种种。
Zhè běn shū jiè shào le zhǒng zhǒng zhí wù de shēng zhǎng xí xìng.
This book introduces the growth habits of various kinds of plants.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

种 means kind, so 种种 conveys many kinds or all sorts.

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.

禾中种

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hérice

Sound part声符shēngfú

中

中zhōng种zhǒng

Same sound today

种 pairs 禾, which shows rice or grain and fits meanings like plant and seed, with 中, which gives its sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

禾中种

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hérice

Sound part声符shēngfú

中

中zhōng种zhǒng

Same sound today

种 pairs 禾, which shows rice or grain and fits meanings like plant and seed, with 中, which gives its sound.

Appears in

Quantity & Amount

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