给 (gěi) — (verb) to give; (preposition) for, on behalf of (doing something for someone)
Definition
给 is the everyday, general-purpose word for 'give' and for 'for / on behalf of' someone. Use 送 when handing someone a gift, and 替 when the focus is doing something in place of someone else.
verb
to give
preposition
foron behalf of (doing something for someone)
Examples
- 给。Qǐng gěi wǒ yì běn shū.Please give me a book.
- 给。Tā gěi wǒ zuò fàn.He cooks for me.
- 给。Wǒ gěi tā mǎi píng guǒ.I buy apples for him.
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 給; 给 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
合
合hé給gěi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 給 uses 糸 (silk) for meaning and 合 for sound, and its old sense was rich, abundant, perhaps referring to precious silk; 给 is a later simplified form.
Grammar
Appears in
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