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通红 (tōng hóng) — bright red all over; flushed red

Definition

通红 (tōnghóng) means red all the way through — usually a face or body part flushed from cold, shyness, or exertion. Stronger than the plain color 红; 红润 is healthier-toned skin, while 红扑扑 is ruddier and cuter.

adjective
bright red all overflushed red

Examples

  • 通红。
    Tā de liǎn dòng dé tōng hóng.
    His face was bright red from the cold.
  • 通红。
    Tā hài xiū dé ěr duo dōu tōng hóng le.
    She was so shy that even her ears turned bright red.
  • ，通红。
    Gāng pǎo wán bù, tā liǎn hóng dé tōng hóng.
    Right after running, his face was bright red.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

通tōngthrough/all over
红hóngred

通 means through or all over and 红 means red, so something is red all the way through.

Characters in this word

Most 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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →

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 紅; 红 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng紅hóng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 紅 puts 糸 (silk) next to 工, which gives the sound; the simplified 红 is a later shorthand.

Open 红 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Colors

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