汤碗 (tāng wǎn) — soup bowl

Definition

noun
soup bowl
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 汤碗。
    Qǐng bǎ tāng wǎn fàng zài zhuō zi shàng.
    Please put the soup bowl on the table.
  • 汤碗。
    Zhè ge tāng wǎn shì táo cí zuò de.
    This soup bowl is made of ceramic.
  • 汤碗。
    Tā yòng tāng wǎn hē le yì wǎn rè tāng.
    He used a soup bowl to drink a bowl of hot soup.

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.

汤tāngsoup
碗wǎnbowl

汤碗 is a 碗 'bowl' for 汤 '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.

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 →

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
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
宛
宛wǎn碗wǎn
Same sound today

碗 combines 石 (stone) with 宛. The 石 part relates to the meaning, and 宛 gives the sound.

Open 碗 →

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