Chinese character dictionary (containing entries for single characters, contrasted with a 詞典|词典[ci2 dian3], which has entries for words of one or more characters) / (coll.) dictionary / CL:本[ben3]
three major stars of the Three Stars 參宿|参宿[Shen1 xiu4] Chinese constellation / the belt of Orion / three spirits 福[fu2], 祿|禄[lu4], and 壽|寿[shou4] associated with the Three Stars 參宿|参宿[Shen1 xiu4] Chinese constellation
Chinese set expression, typically of 4 characters, often alluding to a story or historical quotation / idiom / proverb / saying / adage / CL:條|条[tiao2],本[ben3],句[ju4]
transliteration (rendering phonetic value, e.g. of English words in Chinese characters) / characters giving phonetic value of Chinese word or name (when the correct characters may be unknown) / transcription (linguistics) / to transcribe phonetic symbols
Zhonghua, historical and cultural term for China, often used to denote Chinese civilization and identity (as in 中華文化|中华文化[Zhong1hua2 wen2hua4] "Chinese culture") / used in the official name of the Republic of China, 中華民國|中华民国[Zhong1hua2 Min2guo2]
single-character headword (in a dictionary) / first character of a Chinese word / the top part (esp. a radical) of a Chinese character / the initial of a Chinese syllable
Chinese language (Mandarin), emphasizing its national nature / Chinese as a primary or secondary school subject / Chinese in the context of the Nationalist Government / Guoyu, book of historical narrative c. 10th-5th century BC
qualities that delight children (e.g. bold colors in a picture, anthropomorphized characters in a TV show, the physical challenge of playground equipment)
to make use of / to use sth as pretext / under false pretenses / under the guise of / masquerading as / lenient / tolerant / loan character (one of the Six Methods 六書|六书 of forming Chinese characters) / character acquiring meanings by phonetic association / also called phonetic loan
combined ideogram (one of the Six Methods 六書|六书[liu4 shu1] of forming Chinese characters) / Chinese character that combines the meanings of existing elements / also known as joint ideogram or associative compound / to comprehend without being told explicitly / to cotton on / knowing (smile, glance etc)
to indicate the pronunciation of Chinese characters using Pinyin or Bopomofo etc / phonetic notation / (specifically) Bopomofo (abbr. for 注音符號|注音符号[zhu4 yin1 fu2 hao4])
form of divination similar to the Ouija board, in which participants use their forefingers to push a small saucer over a sheet of paper inscribed with numerous Chinese characters
one's age, according to the traditional Chinese method of reckoning (i.e. the number of Chinese calendar years in which one has lived) – In this system, a person's age at birth is one, and increases by one at the beginning of the first solar term 立春[Li4 chun1] each year, rather than on one's birthday. / contrasted with 實歲|实岁[shi2 sui4]
horizontal / across / crosswise / horizontal stroke (in Chinese characters) / to place (sth) flat (on a surface) / to cross (a river, etc) / in a jumble / chaotic / (in fixed expressions) harsh and unreasonable / violent
second of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shi2 tian1 gan1] / second in order / letter "B" or Roman "II" in list "A, B, C", or "I, II, III" etc / second party (in legal contract, usually 乙方[yi3 fang1], as opposed to 甲方[jia3 fang1]) / ethyl / bent / winding / radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 5) / ancient Chinese compass point: 105°
(bound form) a person in servitude / low-ranking subordinate / (bound form) to be subordinate to / (bound form) clerical script (the style of characters intermediate between ancient seal and modern regular characters)
ideogram plus phonetic (one of the Six Methods 六書|六书 of forming Chinese characters) / also known as phonogram, phonetic compound or picto-phonetic character
Six Methods of forming Chinese characters, according to Han dictionary Shuowen 說文|说文 - namely, two primary methods: 象形 (pictogram), 指事 (ideogram), two compound methods: 會意|会意 (combined ideogram), 形聲|形声 (ideogram plus phonetic), and two transfer methods: 假借 (loan), 轉注|转注 (transfer)
imperial five punishments of feudal China, up to Han times: tattooing characters on the forehead 墨[mo4], cutting off the nose 劓[yi4], amputation of one or both feet 刖[yue4], castration 宮|宫[gong1], execution 大辟[da4 pi4] / Han dynasty onwards: whipping 笞[chi1], beating the legs and buttocks with rough thorns 杖[zhang4], forced labor 徒[tu2], exile or banishment 流[liu2], capital punishment 死[si3]
traditional system expressing the phonetic value of a Chinese character using two other characters, the first for the initial consonant, the second for the rhyme and tone
old term for the right-falling stroke in Chinese characters (e.g. the last stroke of 大[da4]), now called 捺[na4] / sound made by birds (onom.) / (literary) to dismember (form of punishment) / to spread
to compare / (followed by a noun and adjective) more {adj.} than {noun} / ratio / to gesture / (Taiwan pr. [bi4] in some compounds derived from Classical Chinese)
son / child / seed / egg / small thing / 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.-1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat / viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wu3deng3 jue2wei4] / ancient Chinese compass point: 0° (north) / subsidiary / subordinate / (prefix) sub-
not yet / did not / have not / not / 8th earthly branch: 1-3 p.m., 6th solar month (7th July-6th August), year of the Sheep / ancient Chinese compass point: 210°
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