荔枝 (lì zhī) — lychee | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

lychee

Measure word · 颗

，荔枝。
Xià tiān de shí hou, wǒ xǐ huan chī lì zhī.
In summer, I like to eat lychees.
荔枝，。
Zhè jiā de lì zhī fēi cháng xīn xiān, jià gé yě hěn pián yi.
The lychees at this store are very fresh, and the price is also cheap.
荔枝，。
lì zhī Shì rè dài shuǐ guǒ, yòu tián yòu duō zhī.
Lychees are a tropical fruit, sweet and juicy.

Single-morpheme word

构词法gòucífǎ

联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

荔lì

The two characters together name the lychee fruit; neither has a separate meaning here.

Sound-only characters

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

艸艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

劦

劦xié荔⁰lì

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

荔 pairs 艸 (plant) with 劦, which gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木支枝

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

支

Same sound today

枝 shows 木 (tree) beside 支, which gives the sound.