骨 (gū) — bone
Definition
Here 骨 (gū) is a bound morpheme, almost always seen as the first half of 骨头 (gǔtou, 'bone'). Learners should learn 骨 as part of 骨头 rather than on its own.
bound form
bone
Easily confused
Examples
- 。Tā shuāi shāng le gū tou.He fell and injured a bone.
- 。Gǒu de gū tou bǐ rén de yìng.A dog's bone is harder than a human's.
- 。Yī shēng shuō tā tuǐ shàng de gū tou duàn le.The doctor said the bone in his leg is broken.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
冎
冎guǎ骨gǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The older form 冎 drew a bone; 肉, flesh, was added to make 骨.
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