水烟 (shuǐ yān) — shredded tobacco for a water pipe

Definition

noun

shredded tobacco for a water pipe

。
Tā xǐ huan chōu shuǐ yān.
He likes to smoke water-pipe tobacco.
水烟。
Shì chǎng shàng mài de shuǐ yān zhǒng lèi hěn duō.
There are many kinds of water-pipe tobacco sold on the market.
水烟。
Zhè zhǒng shuǐ yān wèi dào hěn xiāng.
This type of water-pipe tobacco has a very fragrant flavor.

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.

水 points to water and 烟 to smoke or tobacco, naming water-pipe tobacco.

Characters in this word

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

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 煙; 烟 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 烟 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (烟) it is 煙; in others it is 菸.

火垔煙

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

垔

垔yīn煙yān

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

This story is about the traditional form 煙, not the simplified 烟. It pairs 火, fire, with 垔, which gives the sound.