{"id":1473,"date":"2022-08-02T20:15:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T12:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/?p=1473"},"modified":"2026-08-21T16:24:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T08:24:35","slug":"chinese-compound-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/02\/chinese-compound-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese Compound Word"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-white ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/02\/chinese-compound-word\/#What_Is_a_Compound_Word\" >What Is a Compound Word?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/02\/chinese-compound-word\/#What_Actually_Are_Characters_in_Chinese\" >What Actually Are Characters in Chinese?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/02\/chinese-compound-word\/#Can_I_Just_Use_One_Character\" >Can I Just Use One Character?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/02\/chinese-compound-word\/#So_Do_%E5%AD%90%E5%AD%90_zi_and_%E5%85%92%E5%84%BF_er_Mean_Nothing\" >So Do \u5b50\u5b50 zi and \u5152\u513f er Mean Nothing?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/02\/chinese-compound-word\/#What_About_Ancient_Chinese\" >What About Ancient Chinese?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/02\/chinese-compound-word\/#Does_Every_Character_Really_Have_Its_Own_Function\" >Does Every Character Really Have Its Own Function?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<div style=\"height:14px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\">\n<link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.gstatic.com\" crossorigin=\"\">\n<link href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Cormorant+Garamond:ital,wght@0,400;0,500;0,600;1,500&#038;family=Noto+Serif+TC:wght@300;500;600&#038;family=Noto+Serif+SC:wght@300;500;600&#038;family=Jost:wght@400;500&#038;display=swap\" rel=\"stylesheet\">\n\n<style>\n\n  .odd-post{\n    --ink: #24221D;\n    --ink-soft: #726E64;\n    --jade: #3F5D52;\n    --jade-deep: #2B4038;\n    --gold: #A9843F;\n    --red: #A13D2C;\n    --hair: rgba(36,34,29,0.13);\n    --panel: #FAF9F5;\n\n    background: #FFFFFF;\n    color: var(--ink);\n    font-family: 'Jost', sans-serif;\n    font-weight: 400;\n    line-height: 1.75;\n    -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;\n    max-width: 680px;\n    margin: 0 auto;\npadding: 0 32px;\n  }\n\n  .odd-post *{ box-sizing: border-box; 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}\n\n  .odd-post table.ancient-table{ width:100%; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 15px; margin: 0 0 26px; }\n  .odd-post table.ancient-table th{\n    text-align:center; font-family:'Jost', sans-serif; font-weight:500; font-size: 10.5px; letter-spacing: 0.1em;\n    text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--gold); padding: 0 14px 12px; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--ink);\n  }\n  .odd-post table.ancient-table td{ padding: 16px 14px; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--hair); text-align:center; vertical-align:middle; }\n  .odd-post table.ancient-table tr:last-child td{ border-bottom: none; }\n  .odd-post table.ancient-table .arrow{ color: var(--gold); font-size: 18px; }\n  .odd-post table.ancient-table .en{ color: var(--ink-soft); font-size: 13px; display:block; margin-top:4px; }\n\n  .odd-post .closing{ padding: 40px 0 10px; text-align:center; }\n  .odd-post .closing p{\n    margin: 0 auto; max-width: 54ch;\n    font-family:'Cormorant Garamond', serif; font-style: italic; font-size: 19px;\n    color: var(--ink-soft); line-height: 1.6;\n  }\n\n<\/style>\n\n<article class=\"odd-post\">\n\n  <section class=\"hero\">\n    <p class=\"eyebrow\">A field guide for learners<\/p>\n    <h1 class=\"hero-title\">Chinese Compound Words<\/h1>\n    <svg class=\"brush\" viewBox=\"0 0 168 14\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n      <path d=\"M2 8C24 3 46 11 68 6C90 1 112 10 134 5C148 2 158 6 166 4\" stroke=\"#A9843F\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/path>\n    <\/svg>\n    <p class=\"hero-sub\">Have you ever wondered \u2014<\/p>\n    <ul class=\"hero-questions\">\n      <li>Why is Chinese obsessed with two-syllable words?<\/li>\n      <li>Why does Chinese build compound words out of characters that already mean the same thing?<\/li>\n      <li>Why does Chinese add <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u5b50<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u5b50<\/span> zi and <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u5152<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u513f<\/span> er, which seem to mean nothing, onto so many words?<\/li>\n      <li>Why can a single character have so many different pronunciations?<\/li>\n      <li>If every character has its own meaning, shouldn&#8217;t I always be able to read words character by character?<\/li>\n    <\/ul>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <section>\n    <p class=\"section-eyebrow\">The basics<\/p>\n    <h2 class=\"section-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_a_Compound_Word\"><\/span>What Is a Compound Word?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>A compound word is built from two smaller words:<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"formula-list\">\n      <div class=\"formula-row\">\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7259<\/span><rt>y\u00e1<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7259<\/span><rt>y\u00e1<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"plus\">+<\/span>\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5237<\/span><rt>shu\u0101<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5237<\/span><rt>shu\u0101<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"eq\">=<\/span>\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7259\u5237<\/span><rt>y\u00e1shu\u0101<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7259\u5237<\/span><rt>y\u00e1shu\u0101<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">tooth + brush = toothbrush<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"formula-row\">\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u66f8<\/span><rt>sh\u016b<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u4e66<\/span><rt>sh\u016b<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"plus\">+<\/span>\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u67b6<\/span><rt>ji\u00e0<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u67b6<\/span><rt>ji\u00e0<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"eq\">=<\/span>\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u66f8\u67b6<\/span><rt>sh\u016bji\u00e0<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u4e66\u67b6<\/span><rt>sh\u016bji\u00e0<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">book + shelf = bookshelf<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>\n        Two characters, two meanings, one new word \u2014 that tracks. But then what about these two, where\n        both halves already mean roughly the same thing?\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"formula-list\">\n      <div class=\"formula-row\">\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7761<\/span><rt>shu\u00ec<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7761<\/span><rt>shu\u00ec<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"plus\">+<\/span>\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u89ba<\/span><rt>ji\u00e0o<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u89c9<\/span><rt>ji\u00e0o<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"eq\">=<\/span>\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7761\u89ba<\/span><rt>shu\u00ecji\u00e0o<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7761\u89c9<\/span><rt>shu\u00ecji\u00e0o<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">sleep + sleep = to sleep<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"formula-row\">\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7f8e<\/span><rt>m\u011bi<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7f8e<\/span><rt>m\u011bi<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"plus\">+<\/span>\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u9e97<\/span><rt>l\u00ec<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u4e3d<\/span><rt>l\u00ec<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"eq\">=<\/span>\n        <ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7f8e\u9e97<\/span><rt>m\u011bil\u00ec<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7f8e\u4e3d<\/span><rt>m\u011bil\u00ec<\/rt><\/ruby>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">beauty + beauty = beautiful<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>\n        This pattern \u2014 pairing two characters that already mean roughly the same thing \u2014 has its own\n        name: <b>synonym compounds<\/b>\n        (<span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u540c\u7fa9\u8907\u8a5e<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u540c\u4e49\u590d\u8bcd<\/span> t\u00f3ngy\u00ec f\u00f9c\u00ed). Worth\n        remembering, since it&#8217;s a recognizable category you&#8217;ll keep running into.\n      <\/p>\n      <p>\n        One thing worth flagging early: a two-character pair like this isn&#8217;t the same thing as a\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/11\/separable-verbs\/\">separable verb<\/a>\n        (<span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u7761\u89ba<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u7761\u89c9<\/span> shu\u00ecji\u00e0o shows up in both\n        articles). A separable verb&#8217;s two halves can pull apart to let something slot in between\n        (<span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u7761<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u7761<\/span> + <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u4e86<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u4e86<\/span> + <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u89ba<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u89c9<\/span>); a compound word like\n        <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u7259\u5237<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u7259\u5237<\/span> generally can&#8217;t \u2014 you won&#8217;t hear\n        <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u7259\u597d\u5237<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u7259\u597d\u5237<\/span> to mean &#8220;a good toothbrush.&#8221;\n      <\/p>\n      <p>Why repeat yourself? To answer that, it helps to look more closely at how characters actually work.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <div class=\"divider\"><\/div>\n\n  <section>\n    <p class=\"section-eyebrow\">Under the hood<\/p>\n    <h2 class=\"section-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Actually_Are_Characters_in_Chinese\"><\/span>What Actually Are Characters in Chinese?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>\n        English keeps prefixes, suffixes, and roots fairly distinct. Chinese doesn&#8217;t draw that line \u2014\n        a huge number of characters do multiple jobs. One character can stand alone as a full word, or\n        attach to another word the way an English affix would.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"char-card\">\n      <p class=\"char-head\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6c34<\/span><rt>shu\u01d0<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6c34<\/span><rt>shu\u01d0<\/rt><\/ruby> \ud83d\udca6<\/p>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as a word<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6c34\u5152<\/span><rt>shu\u01d0er<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6c34\u513f<\/span><rt>shu\u01d0er<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">water + (no meaning) = water<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as a prefix<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6c34\u679c<\/span><rt>shu\u01d0gu\u01d2<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6c34\u679c<\/span><rt>shu\u01d0gu\u01d2<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">water + fruit = fruit<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as a suffix<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u53e3\u6c34<\/span><rt>k\u01d2ushu\u01d0<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u53e3\u6c34<\/span><rt>k\u01d2ushu\u01d0<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">mouth + water = saliva<\/span><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"char-card\">\n      <p class=\"char-head\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u706b<\/span><rt>hu\u01d2<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u706b<\/span><rt>hu\u01d2<\/rt><\/ruby> \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as a word<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u706b\u7130<\/span><rt>hu\u01d2y\u00e0n<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u706b\u7130<\/span><rt>hu\u01d2y\u00e0n<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">fire + fire = fire<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as a prefix<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u706b\u8eca<\/span><rt>hu\u01d2ch\u0113<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u706b\u8f66<\/span><rt>hu\u01d2ch\u0113<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">fire + car = train<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as a suffix<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u8ecd\u706b<\/span><rt>j\u016bnhu\u01d2<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u519b\u706b<\/span><rt>j\u016bnhu\u01d2<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">military + fire = ammunition<\/span><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>\n        Pairing characters up narrows the meaning and clears away ambiguity \u2014 which is exactly why\n        Chinese leans so heavily on compounds.\n      <\/p>\n      <p>\n        Beyond acting as prefixes or suffixes, one character can also shift between being a verb, an\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/14\/stativeverbs\/\">adjective (stative verb)<\/a>,\n        a noun, or even a particle:\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"char-card\">\n      <p class=\"char-head\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u9577<\/span><rt><\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u957f<\/span><rt><\/rt><\/ruby><\/p>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as a verb<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u9577<\/span><rt>zh\u01ceng<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u957f<\/span><rt>zh\u01ceng<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">to grow<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as an adjective<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u9577<\/span><rt>ch\u00e1ng<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u957f<\/span><rt>ch\u00e1ng<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">long<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as a noun<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u9577<\/span><rt>zh\u01ceng<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u957f<\/span><rt>zh\u01ceng<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">leader<\/span><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"char-card\">\n      <p class=\"char-head\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5f97<\/span><rt><\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5f97<\/span><rt><\/rt><\/ruby><\/p>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as a verb<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5f97<\/span><rt>d\u00e9<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5f97<\/span><rt>d\u00e9<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">to get<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as a particle<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5f97<\/span><rt>de<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5f97<\/span><rt>de<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">links a verb and a stative verb<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"role-row\"><span class=\"role-tag\">as an aux. verb<\/span><span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5f97<\/span><rt>d\u011bi<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5f97<\/span><rt>d\u011bi<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span><span class=\"gloss\">must<\/span><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>\n        These two are a good illustration of why a single character can carry several pronunciations \u2014\n        the sound shifts along with the function. It&#8217;s the same idea as the English word &#8220;record,&#8221;\n        pronounced differently depending on whether it&#8217;s a noun or a verb.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <div class=\"divider\"><\/div>\n\n  <section>\n    <p class=\"section-eyebrow\">The homophone problem<\/p>\n    <h2 class=\"section-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_Just_Use_One_Character\"><\/span>Can I Just Use One Character?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>\n        Short answer: yes. But Chinese avoids relying on lone characters too often, mostly because of how\n        many homophones the language has \u2014 hearing a single-syllable word out loud, with no characters in\n        front of you, can get genuinely confusing.\n      <\/p>\n      <p>\n        So when a character stands alone \u2014 <b>especially a noun<\/b> \u2014 Chinese often pads it out, either\n        with another character of similar meaning, or with a non-content syllable like\n        <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u5b50<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u5b50<\/span> zi or <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u5152<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u513f<\/span> er.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"example-list\">\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u706b\u7130<\/span><rt>hu\u01d2y\u00e0n<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u706b\u7130<\/span><rt>hu\u01d2y\u00e0n<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">fire + fire = fire<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6c34\u5152<\/span><rt>shu\u01d0er<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6c34\u513f<\/span><rt>shu\u01d0er<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">water + (no meaning) = water<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u684c\u5b50<\/span><rt>zhu\u014dzi<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u684c\u5b50<\/span><rt>zhu\u014dzi<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">table + (no meaning) = table<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>\n        The interesting part: once one of these nouns pairs up with another word that already clarifies\n        its meaning, the padding stops being necessary.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"example-list\">\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5927\u706b<\/span><rt>d\u00e0hu\u01d2<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5927\u706b<\/span><rt>d\u00e0hu\u01d2<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">big + fire = a large fire, a conflagration<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u559d\u6c34<\/span><rt>h\u0113shu\u01d0<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u559d\u6c34<\/span><rt>h\u0113shu\u01d0<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">drink + water = to drink water<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6728\u684c<\/span><rt>m\u00f9zhu\u014d<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6728\u684c<\/span><rt>m\u00f9zhu\u014d<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">wood + table = a wooden table<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"note-callout\">\n      <p class=\"label\">Note<\/p>\n      <p style=\"margin:0;\">\n        Around 10% of Chinese words are commonly used entirely on their own \u2014 this isn&#8217;t a rule that\n        compounds are always required, just a look at the pattern behind why they&#8217;re so common.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <div class=\"divider\"><\/div>\n\n  <section>\n    <p class=\"section-eyebrow\">A closer look<\/p>\n    <h2 class=\"section-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"So_Do_%E5%AD%90%E5%AD%90_zi_and_%E5%85%92%E5%84%BF_er_Mean_Nothing\"><\/span>So Do <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u5b50<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u5b50<\/span> zi and <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u5152<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u513f<\/span> er Mean Nothing?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p><b>Correct, but not correct.<\/b><\/p>\n      <p>\n        Read <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u5b50<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u5b50<\/span> as z\u01d0, and it means &#8220;child.&#8221; Read <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u5152<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u513f<\/span> as \u00e9r, and it means &#8220;son.&#8221;\n        Read either one in a neutral tone, and no \u2014 they don&#8217;t carry meaning anymore. But they still do a job.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"suffix-card\">\n      <div class=\"suffix-head\"><span class=\"zh\">\u5b50<\/span><span class=\"py\">zi<\/span><\/div>\n      <p class=\"suffix-role\">To mark a word as a noun<\/p>\n      <ul class=\"suffix-examples\">\n        <li><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u9f3b\u5b50<\/span><rt>b\u00edzi<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u9f3b\u5b50<\/span><rt>b\u00edzi<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"gloss\">nose<\/span><\/li>\n        <li><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u978b\u5b50<\/span><rt>xi\u00e9zi<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u978b\u5b50<\/span><rt>xi\u00e9zi<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"gloss\">shoe<\/span><\/li>\n        <li><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u7345\u5b50<\/span><rt>sh\u012bzi<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u72ee\u5b50<\/span><rt>sh\u012bzi<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"gloss\">lion<\/span><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n      <p class=\"suffix-role\">To turn another word into a noun<\/p>\n      <ul class=\"suffix-examples\">\n        <li><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5237\u5b50<\/span><rt>shu\u0101zi<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5237\u5b50<\/span><rt>shu\u0101zi<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"gloss\">= to brush + zi \u2192 a brush<\/span><\/li>\n        <li><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u50bb\u5b50<\/span><rt>sh\u01cezi<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u50bb\u5b50<\/span><rt>sh\u01cezi<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"gloss\">= foolish + zi \u2192 a fool<\/span><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"suffix-card\">\n      <div class=\"suffix-head\"><span class=\"zh lang-zh-TW\">\u5152<\/span><span class=\"zh lang-zh-CN\">\u513f<\/span><span class=\"py\">er<\/span><\/div>\n      <p class=\"suffix-role\">To distinguish words<\/p>\n      <ul class=\"suffix-examples\">\n        <li><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u767d\u9eb5<\/span><rt>b\u00e1imi\u00e0n<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u767d\u9762<\/span><rt>b\u00e1imi\u00e0n<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"gloss\">flour<\/span><\/li>\n        <li><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u767d\u9eb5\u5152<\/span><rt>b\u00e1imi\u00e0nr<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u767d\u9762\u513f<\/span><rt>b\u00e1imi\u00e0nr<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"gloss\">heroin<\/span><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n      <p class=\"suffix-role\">To distinguish homophones<\/p>\n      <ul class=\"suffix-examples\">\n        <li><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5b8c<\/span><rt>w\u00e1n<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5b8c<\/span><rt>w\u00e1n<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"gloss\">to finish<\/span><\/li>\n        <li><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u73a9\u5152<\/span><rt>w\u00e1nr<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u73a9\u513f<\/span><rt>w\u00e1nr<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"gloss\">to play<\/span><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n      <p class=\"suffix-role\">To tell a noun apart from a verb<\/p>\n      <ul class=\"suffix-examples\">\n        <li><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u756b<\/span><rt>hu\u00e0<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u753b<\/span><rt>hu\u00e0<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"gloss\">to paint<\/span><\/li>\n        <li><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u756b\u5152<\/span><rt>hu\u00e0r<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u753b\u513f<\/span><rt>hu\u00e0r<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"gloss\">a painting<\/span><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <p style=\"font-size:14px; margin:0;\">\n      <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u5b50<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u5b50<\/span> and <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u5152<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u513f<\/span> aren&#8217;t the only noun suffixes \u2014\n      <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u982d<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u5934<\/span>, <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u8001<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u8001<\/span>, and\n      <span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u8005<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u8005<\/span>\/<span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u5bb6<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u5bb6<\/span>\/<span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u54e1<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u5458<\/span> round out the set, covered in\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/02\/chinese-noun\/\">Chinese Noun<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <div class=\"divider\"><\/div>\n\n  <section>\n    <p class=\"section-eyebrow\">Where this came from<\/p>\n    <h2 class=\"section-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_About_Ancient_Chinese\"><\/span>What About Ancient Chinese?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>\n        Chinese wasn&#8217;t always built this way. In ancient times, most words were a single syllable. As the\n        language evolved, those basic characters stopped being enough \u2014 but rather than keep minting new\n        characters, Chinese speakers started combining existing ones into new words. The old root words\n        didn&#8217;t disappear; they either picked up a partner character or found their way into new\n        two-syllable words, clearing up ambiguity along the way.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <table class=\"ancient-table\">\n      <thead><tr><th>Ancient word<\/th><th><\/th><th>Modern word<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n      <tbody>\n        <tr>\n          <td><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u65e5<\/span><rt>r\u00ec<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u65e5<\/span><rt>r\u00ec<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"en\">sun<\/span><\/td>\n          <td class=\"arrow\">\u2192<\/td>\n          <td><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u592a\u967d<\/span><rt>t\u00e0iy\u00e1ng<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u592a\u9633<\/span><rt>t\u00e0iy\u00e1ng<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"en\">sun<\/span><\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n        <tr>\n          <td><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6708<\/span><rt>yu\u00e8<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6708<\/span><rt>yu\u00e8<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"en\">moon<\/span><\/td>\n          <td class=\"arrow\">\u2192<\/td>\n          <td><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6708\u4eae<\/span><rt>yu\u00e8liang<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6708\u4eae<\/span><rt>yu\u00e8liang<\/rt><\/ruby><span class=\"en\">moon<\/span><\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n      <\/tbody>\n    <\/table>\n\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>\n        The ancient words weren&#8217;t abandoned, either \u2014 they live on inside compounds, still carrying their\n        original sense:\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"example-list\">\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u65e5\u671f<\/span><rt>r\u00ecq\u00ed<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u65e5\u671f<\/span><rt>r\u00ecq\u012b<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">date<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u65e5\u51fa<\/span><rt>r\u00ecch\u016b<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u65e5\u51fa<\/span><rt>r\u00ecch\u016b<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">sunrise<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u751f\u65e5<\/span><rt>sh\u0113ngr\u00ec<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u751f\u65e5<\/span><rt>sh\u0113ngr\u00ec<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">birthday<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u4e00\u6708<\/span><rt>y\u012byu\u00e8<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u4e00\u6708<\/span><rt>y\u012byu\u00e8<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">January<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6708\u7d93<\/span><rt>yu\u00e8j\u012bng<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6708\u7ecf<\/span><rt>yu\u00e8j\u012bng<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">menstrual period<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6708\u7968<\/span><rt>yu\u00e8pi\u00e0o<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u6708\u7968<\/span><rt>yu\u00e8pi\u00e0o<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">monthly pass<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <div class=\"divider\"><\/div>\n\n  <section>\n    <p class=\"section-eyebrow\">The exception<\/p>\n    <h2 class=\"section-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Every_Character_Really_Have_Its_Own_Function\"><\/span>Does Every Character Really Have Its Own Function?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>\n        Not quite. One category \u2014 binding words (<span class=\"lang-zh-TW\">\u9023\u7dbf\u8a5e<\/span><span class=\"lang-zh-CN\">\u8fde\u7ef5\u8bcd<\/span> li\u00e1nmi\u00e1n c\u00ed) \u2014\n        contains only a single morpheme, even though it&#8217;s written with two characters.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"example-list\">\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u8461\u8404<\/span><rt>p\u00fat\u00e1o<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u8461\u8404<\/span><rt>p\u00fat\u00e1o<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">grape<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u99f1\u99dd<\/span><rt>lu\u00f2tu\u00f3<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u9a86\u9a7c<\/span><rt>lu\u00f2tu\u00f3<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">camel<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"example-row\">\n        <span class=\"zh-block\"><ruby class=\"lang-zh-TW\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5c37\u5c2c<\/span><rt>g\u0101ng\u00e0<\/rt><\/ruby><ruby class=\"lang-zh-CN\"><span class=\"rb\">\u5c34\u5c2c<\/span><rt>g\u0101ng\u00e0<\/rt><\/ruby><\/span>\n        <span class=\"gloss\">embarrassing; embarrassed<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"section-body\">\n      <p>\n        These words can&#8217;t be split apart \u2014 pull the characters apart, and neither half means anything on\n        its own. So if a teacher can&#8217;t explain what one character of a word &#8220;means&#8221; by itself, this is\n        usually why.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"note-callout\">\n      <p class=\"label\">Why pairs, why fours<\/p>\n      <p style=\"margin:0;\">\n        In Chinese culture, even numbers are considered auspicious and harmonious \u2014 a preference that\n        extends to word length itself. That&#8217;s part of why 1+1 (two characters) and 2+2 (four characters)\n        are so common, and why even-syllable phrasing shows up so often in poetry and literary writing.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n\n\n<\/article>\n\n<script>\n\/*\n  Applies the site's lang_zh-TW cookie on page load (see lang-selector\n  widget) directly to this post's .lang-zh-TW \/ .lang-zh-CN elements,\n  since the widget's own \"on load\" handler only updates its menu\n  pointers, not the actual display. Cookie convention: \"1\" = Traditional,\n  \"0\" = Simplified.\n*\/\n(function(){\n  \/\/ \u4fee\u6b63\u8fd9\u91cc\uff1a\u52a0\u5165 fallback \u903b\u8f91\uff0c\u786e\u4fdd `closest()` \u5931\u8d25\u65f6\uff0c\u7a0b\u5e8f\u4e0d\u4f1a\u4e2d\u65ad\u3002\n  var post = (document.currentScript && document.currentScript.closest('.odd-post')) || document.querySelector('.odd-post');\n  \n  if(!post) return;\n\n  function getCookie(name){\n    var m = document.cookie.match(new RegExp('(?:^|; )' + name.replace(\/([.$?*|{}()\\[\\]\\\\\\\/\\+^])\/g, '\\\\$1') + '=([^;]*)'));\n    return m ? decodeURIComponent(m[1]) : null;\n  }\n\n  var showSimplified = getCookie('lang_zh-TW') === '0';\n  var hideClass = showSimplified ? 'lang-zh-TW' : 'lang-zh-CN';\n  var showClass = showSimplified ? 'lang-zh-CN' : 'lang-zh-TW';\n\n  post.querySelectorAll('.' + hideClass).forEach(function(el){ el.style.display = 'none'; });\n  post.querySelectorAll('.' + showClass).forEach(function(el){ el.style.display = ''; });\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/foundation\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" src=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/e68f92e59c963-300x86.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-571\" style=\"width:150px;height:43px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/e68f92e59c963-300x86.png 300w, https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/e68f92e59c963-600x171.png 600w, https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/e68f92e59c963.png 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A field guide for learners Chinese Compound Words Have you ever wondered \u2014 Why is Chinese obsessed with two-syllable words? Why does Chinese build compound words out of characters that already mean the same thing? Why does Chinese add \u5b50\u5b50 zi and \u5152\u513f er, which seem to mean nothing, onto so many words? Why can&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13],"tags":[131,308,132,133],"class_list":["post-1473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hsk4","tag-chinese-compound-word","tag-edited","tag-132","tag-133"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Chinese Compound Word - OneDotDot Chinese<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is Chinese Compound Word? Why does Chinese add \u5b50(zi) and \u5152\/\u513f(er), which have no meaning after so many words?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tiffanysmandarin.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/02\/chinese-compound-word\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chinese Compound Word - OneDotDot Chinese\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What is Chinese Compound Word? 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