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露水 (lù shuǐ) — dew; (figurative) something ephemeral or short-lived

Definition

Literally 'exposed water' — the dew that forms on plants overnight. Often used figuratively for things that are beautiful but vanish quickly, like a short-lived romance.

noun
dew(figurative) something ephemeral or short-lived

Examples

  • 露水。
    Cǎo yè shàng de lù shuǐ zài yáng guāng xià shǎn shǎn fā guāng.
    The dew on the grass leaves sparkles in the sunlight.
  • 露水。
    Tā men de gǎn qíng xiàng lù shuǐ yí yàng duǎn zàn.
    Their feelings are as brief as dew.
  • 露水，。
    Rén shēng jiù xiàng lù shuǐ, hěn kuài jiù xiāo shī le.
    Life is like dew — it disappears quickly.

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.

露lùdew
水shuǐwater

露 means dew and 水 means water; together they name water drops that form on surfaces.

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
雨雨yǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
路
路lù露lù
Same sound today

露 pairs 雨, a rain-related meaning part, with 路, a sound part.

Open 露 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →
Appears in
Weather

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