豪 (háo) — a person of extraordinary talent or boldness; heroic, unrestrained (in compounds like 豪杰, 豪爽); overbearing, despotic, bullying (in compounds like 土豪, 豪强)
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'heroic, bold, unrestrained' — not used alone. In compounds it leans positive (豪杰 = a talented hero) or negative (土豪 = local despot) depending on context.
bound form
a person of extraordinary talent or boldnessheroicunrestrained (in compounds like 豪杰, 豪爽)overbearingdespoticbullying (in compounds like 土豪, 豪强)
Examples
- ，。Tā xìng gé háo shuǎng, cóng bù guǎi wān mò jiǎo.He has a bold and forthright personality and never beats around the bush.
- 。Zhè wèi shī rén wén fēng háo fàng bù jī.This poet's writing style is unrestrained and free-spirited.
- ，。Tā shì gè háo jié, nián jì qīng qīng jiù chéng jiù fěi rán.He is a person of extraordinary talent, having achieved remarkable success at a young age.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
豕豕shǐpig, boar
Sound part声符shēngfú
高
高gāo豪háo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
豪 shows 豕, a pig or boar, together with 高, which gives its sound.
Appears in
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