骡 (luó) — (bound form) mule

Definition

bound form
mule
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Nóng mín yòng luó zi gēng dì.
    Farmers use mules to plow the fields.
  • 。
    Zhè tóu luó zi hěn néng tuó dōng xī.
    This mule can carry a lot of things.
  • 骡。
    luó Mǎ shì gǔ dài zhòng yào de jiāo tōng gōng jù.
    Mules and horses were important means of transportation in ancient times.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 騾; 骡 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
累
累lèi騾luó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 騾 pairs 馬 (horse) with 累, which gives the sound; the note is about 騾, not the simplified 骡.

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