绿豆 (lǜ dòu) — mung bean | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

mung bean

Measure word · 颗

绿豆。
Wǒ xǐ huan hē lǜ dòu tāng.
I like drinking mung bean soup.
绿豆。
lǜ dòu Yá shì cháng jiàn de shū cài.
Mung bean sprouts are a common vegetable.
绿豆。
Xià tiān lái yì wǎn bīng lǜ dòu tāng hěn shū fu.
In summer, having a bowl of chilled mung bean soup is very comfortable.

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.

绿 gives the green color and 豆 the bean, making a green bean, specifically mung bean.

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 綠; 绿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

彔

彔lù綠lù

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 綠 uses 糸 to show silk and 彔 for sound; the simplified 绿 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the original pieces.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

豆 originally drew some kind of container. It was borrowed for its sound to write the plant name, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

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