Definitions

tóng pupil of the eye

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "瞳" is a phono-semantic compound constructed from the semantic radical "目", which signifies the eye, and the phonetic component "童", guiding its pronunciation as "tóng". This etymological design anchors the character firmly within the semantic field of vision, specifically denoting the pupil of the eye. From its earliest recorded uses, "瞳" has consistently referred to this anatomical feature, with its meaning remaining largely unchanged across centuries of literary and common usage, though it has occasionally been extended in poetic contexts to imply sight or perceptual awareness. The character's formation demonstrates a systematic approach in the development of Chinese logographs, where a meaningful radical is coupled with a phonetic element to create a distinct term for a specific part of the body.

Example Sentences Hide

他的孔很小。

Tā de tóngkǒng hěn xiǎo.

His pupils are very small.

猫的孔会变化。

Māo de tóngkǒng huì biànhuà.

A cat's pupils can change.

医生检查了我的孔。

Yīshēng jiǎnchá le wǒ de tóngkǒng.

The doctor examined my pupils.

在强光下孔会收缩。

Zài qiángguāng xià tóngkǒng huì shōusuō.

Pupils contract under bright light.

她的孔颜色非常浅。

Tā de tóngkǒng yánsè fēicháng qiǎn.

The color of her pupils is very light.

孔的大小反映情绪状态。

Tóngkǒng de dàxiǎo fǎnyìng qíngxù zhuàngtài.

The size of pupils reflects emotional state.

通过观察孔可以诊断疾病。

Tōngguò guānchá tóngkǒng kěyǐ zhěnduàn jíbìng.

Diseases can be diagnosed by observing pupils.

科学家研究孔对光的反应机制。

Kēxuéjiā yánjiū tóngkǒng duì guāng de fǎnyìng jīzhì.

Scientists study the mechanism of pupils' response to light.