软 (ruǎn) — soft (to the touch or in texture); flexible, pliable
Definition
软 (ruǎn) means soft or flexible — used for physical texture (a soft sweater) and for people who are yielding or easy to push around. 柔软 is a close synonym but more literary; 灵活 covers 'flexible' in the sense of adaptable thinking or movement.
adjective
soft (to the touch or in texture)flexiblepliable
Examples
- 软。Tā de máo yī mō qǐ lái hěn ruǎn.Her sweater feels very soft.
- 软，。Zhè zhǒng sù liào hěn ruǎn, néng zhé lái zhé qù.This kind of plastic is very flexible and can be bent back and forth.
- 软，。Tā xìng gé tài ruǎn, zǒng shì bù gǎn jù jué bié rén.His personality is too soft — he never dares to refuse others.
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 軟; 软 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūcarriage
Sound part声符shēngfú
耎
耎ruǎn軟ruǎn
Same sound today
The traditional form 軟 pairs 車 (carriage) with 耎 as a sound part; 耎 depicted a man under rain, and simplified 软 uses a later right side instead of 耎.
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