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绿

green

11 strokes · 纟 (silk radical) + 录 (sound) — silk dyed the color of spring · HSK 2

Where 绿 comes from

绿 is another dyed silk 纟, with 录 lending the sound lǜ. The classic poets loved it as a verb: 春风又绿江南岸 — 'spring wind greens the river's southern bank again' — Wang Anshi famously revised that one character ten times before choosing 绿.

绿 in Chinese culture

绿 colors modern life: 绿色 (green — also 'eco/organic' as in 绿色食品), 绿茶 (green tea, the daily default across China). One famous trap: 绿帽子 ('green hat') means being cheated on — never gift a Chinese man a green hat. Traffic 绿灯 means go; a project's 开绿灯 means it's been approved. Spring's color moves everything forward.

Example

绿茶 lǜchá — green tea

我要一杯绿茶。
Wǒ yào yì bēi lǜchá.
I'd like a cup of green tea.

How to remember it

Silk 纟 dyed spring's color — GREEN.

The 'green hat' taboo (戴绿帽子 = being cheated on) dates to Yuan-dynasty dress codes — 700 years of avoiding one accessory.

Same sound, different tones

2nd lú
stove
4th lù
road
绿
4th lǜ
green

Words unlocked by 绿

绿茶 lǜchá
green tea
绿色 lǜsè
green
绿灯 lǜdēng
green light
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One character a morning · 169-character HSK library · iOS