红杉 (hóng shān) — Chinese larch; redwood

Definition

红杉 (gōng) covers both the 'redwood' (e.g. coast redwood / giant sequoia) and the 'Chinese larch' — different species that share the name in Chinese. The context (origin, region) tells you which is meant.

noun
Chinese larchredwood
Measure word · 棵
Easily confused

Examples

  • 红杉。
    Zhè kē hóng shān yǐ jīng yǒu bā bǎi nián de shù líng le.
    This redwood is already eight hundred years old.
  • 红杉。
    Zhōng guó de hóng shān zhǔ yào fēn bù zài xī nán shān qū.
    Chinese larch is mainly distributed in the southwestern mountain areas.
  • 红杉。
    Bǎo hù hóng shān de shēng tài huán jìng fēi cháng zhòng yào.
    Protecting the ecological environment of the redwood/larch is very important.

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.

红hóngred
杉shānfir

红 names the color, and 杉 names a fir-like tree, together pointing to a red-fir tree.

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.

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 →

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
彡
彡shān杉shā
Same sound today

杉 pairs 木 (tree) on the left with 彡 on the right, which gives the sound.

Open 杉 →

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