陶 (táo) — (bound form) earthenware; pottery; (bound form) to cultivate; to refine; (bound form) happy; carefree (in 陶陶)
Definition
A bound morpheme with three clusters: pottery/ceramics (陶瓷, 陶器), to cultivate/refine character (陶冶, 熏陶), and a literary 'happy, carefree' sense in set phrases like 陶陶. Rarely stands alone — almost always combines with another character.
bound form
earthenwarepotteryto cultivateto refinehappycarefree (in 陶陶)
Examples
- 。Zhōng guó de táo cí lì shǐ yōu jiǔ.Chinese ceramics have a long history.
- 。Zhè jiàn táo qì shì míng cháo de.This piece of pottery is from the Ming dynasty.
- 。Yīn yuè kě yǐ táo yě rén de qíng cāo.Music can cultivate a person's character.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 阜阜fùmound of dirt
- 勹勹bāotwo people
- 土土tǔearth
The oldest 陶 paired 阜 (mound of dirt) with 勹 (two people) and 土 (earth), showing digging; the parts below 勹 later changed.
Appears in
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