肤色 (fū sè) — skin color; complexion

Definition

noun
skin colorcomplexion

Examples

  • 肤色，。
    Tā de fū sè hěn bái, xiàng xuě yí yàng.
    Her skin is very white, like snow.
  • 肤色。
    Zhǒng zú qí shì bú yīng gāi jī yú fū sè.
    Racial discrimination should not be based on skin color.
  • 肤色。
    Jīng cháng shài tài yáng huì ràng fū sè biàn shēn.
    Frequently sunbathing will darken one's skin color.

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.

肤fūskin
色sècolor

肤 (skin) and 色 (color) combine to mean skin color.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròuflesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
夫
夫fū肤fū
Same sound today

The shape of 肤 comes from 肉, flesh, plus 夫, which gives the sound.

Open 肤 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →
Appears in
Appearance

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