光 (guāng) · light; ray

Meanings

1 light; ray
2 only; merely
3 bare; smooth

Characters

光

guāng

light; ray; only; bare

Depicts fire on a person - the glow of light.

Examples

HSK 5

阳光很温暖。

Yángguāng hěn wēnnuǎn.

The sunlight is warm.

HSK 5

光说不做是没用的。

Guāng shuō bù zuò shì méiyòng de.

Just talking without doing is useless.

HSK 5

月光照在湖面上。

Yuèguāng zhào zài húmiàn shàng.

Moonlight shone on the lake surface.

Tips

usage

光 as an adverb means 'only/merely' in colloquial Chinese: 光说不做 (all talk no action). As a noun it means 'light'. As an adjective it means 'bare/smooth'.

memory

The character 光 looks like a person carrying a torch - fire on top of a person below.

Components

radical

兀 wù

person; legs

Bottom 兀 is a stylised seated person, here the indexing radical 儿 (legs/person) in its 兀 variant. 光 originally depicted a person carrying or wearing fire - a torch-bearer. Hence the senses 'light, brightness, glory.' Same legs anchor 元, 兄, 先, 见.

semantic

⺌ xiǎo

small (radical form)

Top is a stylised flame or torch - historically the upper portion was 火 (fire), depicting the flame above someone's head. The modern shape resembles the 'small' compressed form ⺌ but the pedagogically helpful reading is 'flame / sparks rising upward,' supplying the radiant element of light.