Writing Balance Rule: The top component (羽) must be compressed slightly and balanced evenly over the bottom component (卒), maintaining a narrow vertical center axis.
1. Meaning
emerald green, kingfisher blue-green
green jadekingfisher bird
Adjective / NounLiterary#colors#nature#birds
Sample Usage
翠绿
cuì lǜ
emerald green
苍翠
cāng cuì
lush green (of plants)
2. Sound
/[tsʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51
翠
cuìcui4
|
++
`(51)
=cuì
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
cui
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "i" per the side-by-side rule (in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
c
Type: Aspirated Dental Sibilant
Sounds like: ts sound as in 'cats'
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Sharp burst of air through teeth! Tissue MUST flutter strongly.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tip of the tongue rests behind the lower front teeth, releasing a burst of air.
Final Rhyme
ui
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: way sound (without the w)
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'way'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: ui is short for uei
Tone
T4 (51)
5 → 1 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops abruptly, exactly like shouting 'No!' in anger or frustration.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the 'cu' (tsu) sound with 'qu' (tch). 'Cu' uses an alveolar affricate with tongue behind teeth, whereas 'qu' is palatal.
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Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 4 is a sharp downward chop with your hand, mirroring a stern command or a falling rock.
3. Writing
Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 14 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The top component (羽) must be compressed slightly and balanced evenly over the bottom component (卒), maintaining a narrow vertical center axis.
4. Components
Radical羽 · Feather Radical (Feathers or wings)
Semantic Clue (形旁):羽 (Indicates feathers, referencing the bright blue-green plumage of the kingfisher bird.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):卒 (original sound: tsut / cuì)
The character combines the feather radical (羽) on top with the soldier/servant component (卒) on the bottom, symbolizing the brilliant iridescent blue-green feathers worn like a soldier's uniform.
羽 Feathers, wings
卒 Soldier, servant, or ending
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
16· Phonetic Root: 卒 (zú)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally referred to the kingfisher bird (翡翠), whose feathers were prized for making ornate jewelry. The top part represents feathers, and the bottom provides the sound and background.
Semantic Evolution: From the kingfisher bird itself to the specific radiant blue-green color of its feathers, and later extended to green jade.
In ancient China, kingfisher feathers were inlaid into imperial hairpins and jewelry, a craft known as dian cui.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
thúy
High rising tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds to Mandarin falling tone.
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Kanji (Japanese)
On: スイ (sui) / Kun: みどり (midori)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
취
Sound Shift Bridge: The initial 'c' (ts) corresponds to 's' or 'th' in Japanese/Vietnamese borrowings (sui / thúy).
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
A tiny soldier (卒) wears a magnificent cape made of glowing emerald-green feathers (羽) plucked from a kingfisher.