(huǎng) — lie, falsehood (bound morpheme, used in compounds like 谎言, 撒谎)

Definition

Bound morpheme meaning 'lie' — almost never used alone. Appears in the common compounds 谎言 (lie, falsehood) and 撒谎 (to tell a lie).

bound form
liefalsehood (bound morpheme, used in compounds like 谎言, 撒谎)

Examples

  • Tā de huǎng yán hěn kuài bèi jiē chuān le.
    His lies were quickly exposed.
  • Bú yào sā huǎng, shuō shí huà ba.
    Don't tell lies; just tell the truth.
  • Tā shuō de dōu shì huǎng huà, bié xìn tā.
    Everything he says is lies — don't believe him.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 謊; 谎 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
huānghuǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 謊 pairs 言 (speech) with 荒, which shows how it was pronounced; the simplified 谎 is a later shorthand.

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