烟斗 (yān dǒu) — tobacco pipe (also used for opium)

Definition

noun

tobacco pipe (also used for opium)

Measure word · 只

，。
Tā zuò zài shā fā shàng, shǒu lǐ ná zhe yí gè dà yān dǒu.
He sat on the sofa, holding a large pipe in his hand.
烟斗。
Yé ye yǒu yí gè hěn gǔ lǎo de yān dǒu.
Grandpa has a very old pipe.
烟斗。
Zhè ge yān dǒu shì yòng mù tou zuò de.
This pipe is made of wood.

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' names smoke and '斗' names a pipe, so the word means a tobacco pipe.

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.

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

The shape of 斗 originally showed a ladle-shaped dipper or cup used to measure grain, held in a hand.

Appears in