蓝色 (lán sè) — blue (color) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

blue (color)

Examples

蓝色。
Tā jīn tiān chuān le yí jiàn lán sè de qún zi.
She wore a blue dress today.
蓝色，。
Wǒ xǐ huan lán sè, yīn wèi tā ràng rén gǎn jué píng jìng.
I like blue because it makes people feel calm.
蓝色，蓝色。
Dà hǎi shì lán sè de, tiān kōng yě shì lán sè de.
The sea is blue, and the sky is blue too.

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.

蓝 blue plus 色 color gives blue.

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 藍; 蓝 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

監

監jiān藍lán

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

For 蓝, the traditional form 藍 has 艸, grass, above 監, which gives the sound.

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.

Appears in

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