连翘 (lián qiáo) — forsythia | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

forsythia

Measure word · 棵

，连翘。
Chūn tiān dào le, lián qiáo kāi chū le huáng sè de huā.
Spring has arrived, and the forsythia has bloomed yellow flowers.
连翘。
Zhè zhǒng lián qiáo zài zhōng yào lǐ hěn cháng yòng.
This type of forsythia is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine.
连翘。
Yuàn zi lǐ de lián qiáo cháng dé hěn hǎo.
The forsythia in the yard is growing very well.

Single-morpheme word

构词法gòucífǎ

联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

连 and 翘 do not carry meanings of their own here; together they name the forsythia plant.

Sound-only characters

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 連; 连 is its simplified writing.

辶車連

The traditional form 連 joins 辶 (walk) and 車 (chariot) to show a man-drawn carriage; this note is about 連, not the simplified 连.

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 翹; 翘 is its simplified writing.

堯羽翹

Meaning part形符xíngfú

羽羽yǔfeather

Sound part声符shēngfú

堯

堯yáo翹qiáo

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 翹 pairs 羽 (feather) with 堯, which gives the sound; this note is about 翹, not the simplified 翘.