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粉红色 (fěn hóng sè) — pink (color)

Definition

noun
pink (color)

Examples

  • 粉红色。
    Wǒ xǐ huan fěn hóng sè.
    I like pink.
  • 粉红色。
    Tā chuān le yí jiàn fěn hóng sè de máo yī.
    She wore a pink sweater.
  • 粉红色。
    fěn hóng sè Shì zuì piào liang de yán sè zhī yī.
    Pink is one of the most beautiful colors.

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.

粉红pink
粉fěnpowder红hóngred
偏正Modifier + head
色sècolor

粉 suggests powder, 红 suggests red, and 色 marks the color, giving the sense of a pale red.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
分
分fēn粉fěn
Same sound today

粉 pairs 米 (rice) with 分 for its sound. The rice part points to face powder made from rice.

Open 粉 →

Most 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 紅; 红 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng紅hóng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 紅 puts 糸 (silk) next to 工, which gives the sound; the simplified 红 is a later shorthand.

Open 红 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →
Appears in
Colors

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