红潮 (hóng cháo) — (noun) blush, flush (on the face); (noun, euphemism) menstruation; (noun, biology) red tide (algal bloom)

Definition

A literary/euphemistic noun covering three senses: a facial blush (脸上泛起红潮), menstruation (euphemistic), and red tide — an algal bloom harmful to coastal fisheries.

noun
blushflush (on the face)(noun, euphemism) menstruation(noun, biology) red tide (algal bloom)

Examples

  • ，红潮。
    Tā tīng dào kuā jiǎng hòu, liǎn shàng fàn qǐ le hóng cháo.
    After hearing the compliment, a blush spread across her face.
  • 红潮。
    Zhè wèi nǚ xìng yīn hóng cháo bú diào ér qù kàn le zhōng yī.
    This woman went to see a Chinese medicine doctor because of irregular menstruation.
  • 红潮，。
    Yán hǎi dì qū jìn nián lái pín fán chū xiàn hóng cháo xiàn xiàng, duì yú yè zào chéng le yán zhòng yǐng xiǎng.
    In recent years, red tide phenomena have frequently occurred in coastal areas, severely impacting the fishing industry.

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
潮cháotide

红 means red and 潮 means tide: a red tide or a red flush rising in the face.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
朝
朝cháo潮cháo
Same sound today

潮 has 氵, the water form 水, on the left to show a water connection, with 朝 on the right giving the sound.

Open 潮 →

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