紫丁香 (zǐ dīng xiāng) — lilac (flower or shrub)

Definition

noun

lilac (flower or shrub)

Measure word · 朵

，紫丁香。
Chūn tiān dào le, yuàn zi lǐ de zǐ dīng xiāng kāi huā le.
Spring has arrived, and the lilac in the yard has bloomed.
紫丁香。
Tā zuì xǐ huan zǐ dīng xiāng de xiāng wèi.
She loves the fragrance of lilacs the most.
紫丁香。
Gōng yuán lǐ zhǒng le hěn duō zǐ dīng xiāng.
There are many lilacs planted in the park.

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.

丁香lilac

紫 means purple, and 丁香 names the lilac; together they specify the purple lilac.

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.

此糸紫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

此

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

紫 is made of 糸, a silk-related part, and 此, which gives the sound cǐ.

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

丁 may picture a nail head, a person's head, a square city wall, or a square star pattern.

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

香's early form paired 黍 (glutinous millet) with 口 (mouth), perhaps showing millet drink being taken in or offered.