烟嘴 (yān zuǐ) — cigarette holder | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

cigarette holder

Measure word · 个

烟嘴。
Tā mǎi le yí gè xīn yān zuǐ.
He bought a new cigarette holder.
烟嘴。
Zhè ge yān zuǐ shì yín zuò de.
This cigarette holder is made of silver.
烟嘴。
Tā bǎ yān zuǐ fàng zài zhuō zi shàng.
He put the cigarette holder on the table.

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.

烟 means smoke or tobacco and 嘴 means mouth, so it names the mouthpiece for smoke.

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 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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

口觜嘴

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

觜

觜zī嘴

Same sound today

嘴 pairs 口 (mouth) with 觜, which supplies its sound.