蜜橘 (mì jú) — tangerine

Definition

noun
tangerine
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 蜜橘，。
    Zhè mì jú hěn tián, nǐ cháng cháng kàn.
    This tangerine is very sweet, try some.
  • 蜜橘。
    Mā ma mǎi le yì xiāng mì jú fàng zài kè tīng.
    Mom bought a crate of tangerines and put them in the living room.
  • 蜜橘。
    mì jú De pí kě yǐ shài gān hòu pào shuǐ hē.
    The peel of tangerines can be dried and used to make tea.

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.

蜜mìhoney
橘jútangerine

蜜 (honey) describes the sweetness of 橘 (tangerine), naming a honey-like mandarin.

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
虫虫chónginsect
Sound part声符shēngfú
宓
宓mì蜜mì
Same sound today

蜜 is built from 虫, an insect, and 宓, which gives the sound.

Open 蜜 →

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
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
矞
矞yù橘jú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

橘 has 木 on the left, showing a tree, and 矞 on the right, giving the sound.

Open 橘 →

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