姜汤 (jiāng shāng) — ginger soup (a traditional Chinese remedy made from ginger, often drunk to warm the body or treat colds)

Definition

Ginger soup — a traditional home remedy, not a regular beverage. Usually drunk warm to chase a cold or warm the body, often with brown sugar added.

noun
ginger soup (a traditional Chinese remedy made from ginger, often drunk to warm the body or treat colds)
Measure word · 碗

Examples

  • ，姜汤。
    Gǎn mào le, hē yì wǎn jiāng shāng huì hǎo hěn duō.
    If you have a cold, drinking a bowl of ginger soup will make you feel much better.
  • 姜汤。
    Dōng tiān hē jiāng shāng kě yǐ nuǎn shēn tǐ.
    Drinking ginger soup in winter can warm the body.
  • 姜汤，。
    Mā ma gěi wǒ zhǔ le jiāng shāng, lǐ miàn jiā le hóng táng.
    Mom made me ginger soup and added brown sugar to it.

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.

姜jiāngginger
汤tāngsoup

姜 names ginger, and 汤 names soup, together making ginger soup.

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
女女nǚfemale
Sound part声符shēngfú
羊
羊yáng姜
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

姜 uses 女 to show a female and 羊 for the sound.

Open 姜 →

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 湯; 汤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng湯tāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 汤, the shape explained is 湯: 氵 is water, and 昜 gives the sound.

Open 汤 →

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