紅 is the character for “red”. It is made out of 9 strokes.
| Chinese Character | Simplified Version | Bopomofo | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 紅 | 红 | ㄏㄨㄥˊ | hóng |
Definition
Red; popular; revolutionary; bonus
Historical Origins
The Chinese character 紅 is a phono-semantic compound composed of the semantic component 糸 (silk) and the phonetic component 工. This structure links its meaning to silk, which was often dyed red in ancient times, and its pronunciation to 工
Historically, 紅 originally referred to lighter shades of red and may share etymological connections with characters like 彤 (“red”) and 虹 (“rainbow”). Over time, 紅 became the primary term for the color red, relacing 赤 (chì) as the basic descriptor.
Vocabulary with the Character 紅
| Chinese | Bopomofo | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 紅色 | ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄙㄜˋ | hóng sè | Red (color) |
| 紅包 | ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄅㄠ | hóng bāo | Red envelope |
| 紅茶 | ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄔㄚˊ | hóng chá | Black tea |
| 紅酒 | ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄐㄧㄡˇ | hóng jiǔ | Red wine |
| 紅利 | ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄌㄧˋ | hóng lì | Dividend; bonus |
| 紅十字會 | ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄕˊ ㄗˋ ㄏㄨㄟˋ | Hóng Shí Zì Huì | Red Cross |
| 紅旗 | ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄑㄧˊ | hóng qí | Red flag |
| 紅燒 | ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄕㄠ | hóng shāo | Braised (in soy sauce) |
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