责 (zé) — duty, responsibility (bound form, as in 责任); to blame, to reproach (bound form, as in 责备); to demand, to interrogate (bound form, as in 要求, 质问)
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'responsibility, blame, or to demand' — almost always seen as part of a two-character word (责任, 责备, 指责). On its own it is not used as a standalone verb or noun.
bound form
dutyresponsibility (bound form, as in 责任)to blameto reproach (bound form, as in 责备)to demandto interrogate (bound form, as in 要求, 质问)
Examples
- 。Měi gè rén dōu yǒu zì jǐ de zé rèn.Everyone has their own responsibilities.
- 。Tā yīn wèi chí dào bèi lǎo shī zé bèi le.He was blamed by the teacher for being late.
- 。Fǎ lǜ huì duì fàn zuì xíng wéi jìn xíng zé fá.The law will impose punishment on criminal acts.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 責; 责 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèicowry; money
Sound part声符shēngfú
朿
朿cì責zé
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 責 pairs 貝, cowry/money, with 朿 as the sound part; the simplified 责 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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