贿 (huì) — (bound form) bribe; bribery
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'bribe / bribery.' It almost never stands alone — pair it with 赂 to form the common word 贿赂, and it appears in fixed terms like 受贿 (accepting bribes) and 行贿 (giving bribes).
bound form
bribebribery
Examples
- 。Tā yīn wèi shòu huì bèi jǐng chá zhuā le.He was arrested by the police for accepting bribes.
- 。Gōng sī jìn zhǐ yuán gōng xiàng guān yuán xíng huì.The company prohibits employees from bribing officials.
- 。huì Lù shì yì zhǒng wéi fǎ xíng wéi.Bribery is an illegal act.
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 賄; 贿 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèicowry; money
Sound part声符shēngfú
有
有yǒu賄huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 賄 pairs 貝 (cowry; money) with 有 as the sound part; the simplified 贿 keeps 有 on the right.
Appears in
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