坚果 (jiān guǒ) — nut | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

坚果 is the general category word for nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.). Use 核桃 specifically for 'walnut' and 壳 for the hard outer shell you crack open.

noun

nut

Measure word · 颗

Examples

坚果。
Wǒ měi tiān chī yì bǎ jiān guǒ.
I eat a handful of nuts every day.
坚果。
Zhè zhǒng jiān guǒ fù hán dàn bái zhì.
This kind of nut is rich in protein.
坚果。
Chāo shì lǐ de jiān guǒ zhèng zài dǎ zhé.
The nuts in the supermarket are on sale.

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.

坚果 joins 坚 'hard' with 果 'fruit' to mean a hard-shelled fruit such as a nut.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 堅; 坚 is its simplified writing.

臤土堅

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

臤

臤qiān堅jiān

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 堅 pairs 臤, giving the sound, with 土, earth, giving the sense; the simplified 坚 is a later shorthand.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

果 originally drew fruits hanging on a tree.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Food (General)

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