About
The character "笼" derives from its traditional form "籠", a phono-semantic compound where the bamboo radical signifies the original material of its referents, primarily cages or baskets, while the phonetic component "龙" provides a clue to its pronunciation. Initially denoting physical containers crafted from bamboo for confining birds or storing items, its meaning gradually extended to various covering structures, such as lantern shades or food steamers, and further evolved to encompass abstract senses of envelopment or control when used as a verb. The modern simplified form retains the bamboo radical atop the simplified phonetic "龙", thus continuing the character's etymological link to enclosed spaces while adapting its written structure.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
小鸟被关在笼子里。
这个笼子是竹制的。
迷雾笼罩着山谷。
他的回答很笼统。
夜晚的黑暗笼罩了整个城市。
请不要用笼统的语言描述细节。
她用一个漂亮的笼子养了一只鹦鹉。
在经济报告中，数据不能太笼统。