金桔 (jīn jú) — kumquat | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

kumquat

Measure word · 个

Easily confused

金桔。
Wǒ zài chāo shì mǎi le jīn jú.
I bought kumquats at the supermarket.
金桔。
Zhè ge jīn jú yòu suān yòu tián.
This kumquat is both sour and sweet.
金桔。
Wǒ jiā yuàn zi lǐ zhǒng le yì kē jīn jú shù.
I planted a kumquat tree in my yard.

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.

金 and 桔 describe a small golden citrus fruit.

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.

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木吉桔

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

吉

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

桔 is built from 木, meaning wood, and 吉, which supplies the sound.