终 (zhōng) — (bound form) end, finish; (bound form) eventually, finally, after all; (bound form) whole, entire (of a duration)
Definition
A bound morpheme that almost never stands alone. As a prefix it means 'end / eventual' (终于 'finally', 终点 'finish line'); as a prefix or attributive it means 'whole / entire' for a duration (终年 'all year long').
bound form
endfinisheventuallyfinallyafter allwholeentire (of a duration)
Examples
- ，。Jīng guò nǔ lì, wǒ zhōng yú xué huì le kāi chē.Through effort, I finally learned to drive.
- 。Zhè bù lián xù jù yǐ jīng bō dào zhōng jié le.This TV series has already aired to its end.
- ，。Tā zhōng nián dōu zài gōng sī gōng zuò, cóng méi huàn guò dān wèi.He worked at the company all year long and never changed jobs.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 終; 终 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
冬
冬dōng終zhōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 終 pairs 糸 (a cord) with 冬 as a sound part; the simplified 终 is a later shorthand. An older form showed a knot at the end of a cord.
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