松子 (sōng zǐ) — pine nut | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

pine nut

Measure word · 颗

Examples

松子。
Wǒ zhuā le yì bǎ sōng zǐ dāng líng shí chī.
I grabbed a handful of pine nuts to eat as a snack.
松子。
Chāo shì lǐ de sōng zǐ bǐ wǎng shàng pián yi hěn duō.
Pine nuts at the supermarket are much cheaper than online.
松子。
Zuò yì dà lì qīng jiàng xū yào yòng dào sōng zǐ.
Making Italian pesto requires pine nuts.

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.

松 'pine' and 子 'seed' combine to name the edible seed of a pine.

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.

木公松

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

公

公gōng松sōng

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

松 uses 木 (wood) to show it is a tree, and 公 to give the sound.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Appears in

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.