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烧鸡 (shāo jī) — roast chicken (a dish)

Definition

roast chicken (a dish)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 烧鸡。
    Wǒ zuó tiān zài cān tīng diǎn le yì zhī shāo jī.
    I ordered a roast chicken at the restaurant yesterday.
  • 烧鸡。
    Zhè jiā diàn zuò de shāo jī wèi dào tè bié hǎo.
    The roast chicken from this restaurant tastes especially good.
  • 烧鸡。
    Mā ma jiào wǒ zěn me zuò shāo jī.
    Mom taught me how to make roast chicken.

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.

烧shāoroast
鸡jīchicken

烧 indicates the cooking method used on 鸡, so the word names a roast chicken dish.

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 燒; 烧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo燒shāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 燒 pairs 火 (fire) with 堯, which supplies the sound; the simplified 烧 is a shorthand.

Open 烧 →

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 雞; 鸡 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuīshort-tailed bird
Sound part声符shēngfú
奚
奚xī雞jī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 雞 pairs 奚, which gives the sound, with 隹, a short-tailed bird. The simplified 鸡 is a later shorthand, and its right side is not the historical 奚.

Open 鸡 →
Appears in
Food (General)Meat & Seafood

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