冰窖 (bīng jiào) — icehouse; glacial vault (a place where ice is stored)

Definition

noun
icehouseglacial vault (a place where ice is stored)

Examples

  • 冰窖。
    Gǔ rén bǎ bīng fàng zài bīng jiào lǐ bǎo cún.
    Ancient people stored ice in icehouses for preservation.
  • 冰窖。
    Zhè zuò bīng jiào jiàn yú yì bǎi nián qián.
    This icehouse was built a hundred years ago.
  • 冰窖，。
    Méi yǒu bīng jiào de shí hou, rén men yòng dì xià shì cún bīng.
    When there were no icehouses, people stored ice in basements.

Origin

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.

冰bīngice
窖jiàocellar

冰窖 is a 窖 for 冰, a vault or cellar storing ice.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
冫
仌bīng冰bīng
Same sound today

冰 adds 水 (water) to 冫, the short form of 仌; 冫 gives the sound, and 水 shows the meaning.

Open 冰 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuéhole; cave
Sound part声符shēngfú
告
告gào窖jiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

窖 has 穴, a hole or cave, and 告, which gives the sound.

Open 窖 →

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