作料 (zuò liao) — condiments, seasoning | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Seasonings or condiments added during cooking. 调料 is the more common everyday word; 香料 leans toward aromatic spices and fragrance ingredients.

noun

condimentsseasoning

Measure word · 种

作料。
Zhè zhǒng zuò liao néng ràng cài de wèi dào gèng xiān měi.
This kind of seasoning can make the dish taste more delicious.
作料？
Nǐ chǎo cài shí fàng le duō shǎo zuò liao?
How much seasoning did you put in when stir-frying?
作料。
Nà jiā diàn mài de zuò liao zhǒng lèi tè bié duō.
That store sells a particularly wide variety of seasonings.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

作zuòmake or cook

Combines 作 meaning make or cook with 料 meaning material to name things added in cooking.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

亻乍作

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

乍

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

米斗料

料 combines 米 (rice) with 斗 (a dipper), showing rice being measured or gauged.

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