粹 (cuì) — pure; unadulterated (bound form used in compounds)

Definition

A bound morpheme meaning 'pure / essence,' used only in compounds such as 纯粹, 精粹, and 国粹. Never stands alone.

bound form
pureunadulterated (bound form used in compounds)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Tā duì yīn yuè de zhuī qiú fēi cháng chún cuì.
    His pursuit of music is very pure.
  • 粹。
    Zhè piān wén zhāng de sī biàn jīng cuì lìng rén zàn tàn.
    The intellectual essence of this essay is admirable.
  • 粹。
    Jīng jù shì zhōng guó bǎo guì de guó cuì.
    Peking opera is a precious quintessence of Chinese culture.

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
米米mǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
卒
卒zú粹cuì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

粹 combines 米 (rice) and 卒; 卒 gives the sound, and 米 relates to the meaning.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.