柴火 (chái huo) — firewood | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

firewood

Measure word · 根

柴火。
Wǒ men xū yào yì xiē chái huo lái shēng huǒ.
We need some firewood to start a fire.
柴火。
Qù shān shàng jiǎn chái huo shì tā men de rì cháng gōng zuò.
Going up the mountain to gather firewood is their daily work.
柴火。
Yì duī chái huo duī zài yuàn zi jiǎo luò lǐ.
A pile of firewood is stacked in the corner of the yard.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

柴 refers to firewood and 火 to fire, together naming the material burned for fire.

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.

此木柴

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

此

此cǐ柴chái

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

In 柴, the lower part 木 shows it is about wood, while the upper part 此 supplies the sound.

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

火 is a simple drawing of a fire, with flames shown rising upward.

Appears in