紫红 (zǐ gōng) — purplish red

Definition

noun
purplish red
Easily confused

Examples

  • 紫红，。
    Zhè tiáo qún zi de yán sè shì zǐ gōng, hěn tè bié.
    The color of this skirt is purplish red, very special.
  • 紫红。
    Qiū tiān de shù yè huì biàn chéng zǐ gōng.
    The autumn leaves will turn purplish red.
  • 紫红。
    Tā xǐ huan yòng zǐ gōng lái huà wǎn xiá.
    She likes to use purplish red to paint sunset clouds.

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.

紫zǐpurple
红hóngred

紫 (purple) tints 红 (red), giving purplish 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
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
此
此cǐ紫zǐ
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.

Open 紫 →

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 →

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