黑种 (hēi chóng) — the Black race (dated or formal term; modern usage prefers 黑人)

Definition

A dated or formal term for 'the Black race,' used in older or academic writing. In modern Chinese, 黑人 is the standard and preferred term for Black people.

noun
the Black race (dated or formal term; modern usage prefers 黑人)

Examples

  • ，黑种。
    Zài rén lèi xué yán jiū zhōng, hēi chóng shì yí gè chuán tǒng de fēn lèi gài niàn.
    In anthropology research, the Black race is a traditional classification concept.
  • ""，黑种。
    Xiàn zài gèng cháng yòng de shì " hēi rén " zhè ge cí, ér bú shì hēi chóng.
    Nowadays, the term 'Black people' is more commonly used, rather than 'Black race.'
  • 黑种，。
    Nà běn jiù shū lǐ tí dào hēi chóng de shí hou, yòng yǔ yǐ jīng guò shí le.
    The language used in that old book when it mentions the Black race is already outdated.

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.

黑hēiblack
种zhǒngrace

Black and race together denote a racial group.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 黑 seems to come from drawing a head marked with dots, usually read as facial tattoos.

Open 黑 →

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
禾禾hérice
Sound part声符shēngfú
中
中zhōng种zhǒng
Same sound today

种 pairs 禾, which shows rice or grain and fits meanings like plant and seed, with 中, which gives its sound.

Open 种 →

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