聪 (cōng) — intelligent (bound form, used in compounds)
Definition
聪 (cōng) is a bound morpheme meaning 'intelligent, bright' that never stands alone — it always combines with 明 or 慧 (e.g. 聪明, 聪慧) to form a complete word.
bound form
intelligent (bound form, used in compounds)
Examples
- ，。Tā hěn cōng ming, zǒng néng xiǎng chū hǎo bàn fǎ.He is very smart and always comes up with good ideas.
- 。cōng Ming de xué shēng dǒng de rú hé xué xí.Smart students know how to study.
- 。Zhè hái zi shēng lái jiù cōng huì guò rén.This child was born exceptionally bright.
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 聰; 聪 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
囪
囪cōng聰cōng
Same sound today
The traditional form 聰 has 耳, the ear, beside a right side made of 囪, a window giving the sound, over 心, the heart; the simplified 聪 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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