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序 (xù) is a phono-semantic compound: the component 广 (yǎn), depicting a building or a roof on a cliff, supplies the meaning, while 予 (yǔ) gives the sound. Originally, the character referred to the east-west walls at the side of a palace, a structured physical boundary that later evolved into the abstract notions of order, sequence, and proper arrangement. This transition from concrete space to abstract order also led to the extended meaning of a preface or introduction, the structured opening of a written work.
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Example Sentences Hide
请保持课堂秩序。
这本书的序言很长。
我们需要遵守程序。
事件发生的顺序很重要。
他写了序章来介绍故事。
在编程中,序列是基本概念。
会议按照预定议程有序进行。
社会秩序的良好维护依赖于法律和道德。
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