煤气灶 (méi qì zào) — gas stove; gas cooker; gas range

Definition

noun
gas stovegas cookergas range
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 煤气灶，。
    Wǒ jiā xīn mǎi le yì tái méi qì zào, zuò fàn fāng biàn duō le.
    My family bought a new gas stove, making cooking much more convenient.
  • 煤气灶，。
    Zhè ge méi qì zào de huǒ lì tài měng le, zhǔ zhōu róng yì yì chū lái.
    This gas cooker has too strong a flame — it's easy for the porridge to boil over.
  • 煤气灶。
    Qǐng jiǎn chá yí xià méi qì zào de guǎn dào yǒu méi yǒu lòu qì.
    Please check whether the gas range's pipe has any leaks.

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.

煤气coal gas
煤méicoal气qìgas
偏正Modifier + head
灶zàostove

煤气 “coal gas” and 灶 “stove” combine to mean a gas range.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
某
某mǒu煤méi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

煤 puts 火 (fire) on the left and 某 on the right; the fire part relates to coal, and 某 gives the sound.

Open 煤 →

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

灶 combines 火 (fire) and 土 (soil), showing a fire built on the earth as a stove.

Open 灶 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.