金正 (jīn zhēng) — Kim Jong (Korean surname and given name initial, used in names like Kim Jong-il or Kim Jong-un)

Definition

A Korean personal-name fragment used only in compounds for the Kim family (金正日, 金正恩) — not a stand-alone Chinese word, so learners should treat it as part of a fixed name.

noun
Kim Jong (Korean surname and given name initial, used in names like Kim Jong-il or Kim Jong-un)

Examples

  • 金正。
    jīn zhēng Ēn shì cháo xiǎn de zuì gāo lǐng dǎo rén.
    Kim Jong-un is the supreme leader of North Korea.
  • 金正。
    jīn zhēng Rì céng jīng fǎng wèn guò zhōng guó.
    Kim Jong-il once visited China.
  • 金正。
    Hěn duō rén duì jīn zhēng jiā zú de zhèng zhì gǎn xìng qù.
    Many people are interested in the politics of the Kim family.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
音译yīnyìTransliteration

The characters spell the sound of a foreign word; their individual meanings play no part.

金jīn
正zhèng

金正 spells the foreign name Kim Jong; the characters carry no meaning of their own here.

Sound-only characters

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.

Open 金 →

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
止止zhǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng正zhèng
Same sound today

正 pairs 止 with 丁; 止 marks the sense and 丁 gives the sound.

Open 正 →

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