鲜红 (xiān hóng) — bright red, scarlet | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A descriptive compound meaning 'bright, vivid red' — a vivid, fresh shade, stronger and more literary than plain 红.

noun

bright redscarlet

鲜红。
Tā de zuǐ chún tú zhe xiān hóng de kǒu hóng.
Her lips are painted with bright red lipstick.
，鲜红。
Qiū tiān, shān shàng de fēng yè biàn chéng le xiān hóng.
In autumn, the maple leaves on the mountain turn bright red.
鲜红。
Nà miàn xiān hóng de qí zhì zài fēng zhōng piāo yáng.
That scarlet flag is fluttering in the wind.

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.

鲜xiānfresh; vivid

The “鲜” fresh vivid quality added to “红” red gives a bright scarlet color.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鮮; 鲜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

魚魚yúfish

Sound part声符shēngfú

羴

羴shān鮮xiān

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鮮 pairs 魚 (fish) with 羴, which gives the sound; this note is about 鮮, not 鲜.

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 紅; 红 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìsilk

Sound part声符shēngfú

工

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 紅 puts 糸 (silk) next to 工, which gives the sound; the simplified 红 is a later shorthand.