唐 táng Tang
the Tang dynasty; Chinese
How it came to be
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
The oldest form puts a mouth sign under a hollow instrument; the instrument gives the sound and the mouth only marks a different word.
用法
- The Tang dynasty, a byword for Chinese heritage: 唐朝 (Tángcháo) the Tang, 唐人街 (Tángrénjiē) Chinatown, 唐装 (Tángzhuāng) traditional Chinese jacket.
- Separately, 'exaggerated/absurd' in 荒唐 (huāngtáng): 荒唐的想法 (huāngtáng de xiǎngfa) a preposterous idea.
- So it swings from proud dynastic reference to 'absurd/preposterous'.