Chinese character 软 ruǎn – soft; flexible

Main meanings:

soft, weak
② flexible
③ timid


HSK – STROKES – 8 RADICAL – 车

 

Etymology:

Elements  —-  The soft 欠 part + a car 车. Phonetic series .

The soft 耎 (as the beard 而 of a man 大 changed to 欠), part of a chariot 车. Here soft 欠 replaces an old character 耎 that showed a man and his beard. Being the beard softer than other body parts it meant soft. From soft the other meanings.


Main Words:

软化 ruǎnhuà  soften;

软件 ruǎnjiàn software.


Discussion and sources

 

characters hsk

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