煤 (méi) — coal
Definition
Coal as a raw fuel or resource — typically paired with 炭 in 煤炭 to mean coal as an industry term. Use 煤气 for the gas burned for cooking/heating, not 煤 itself.
noun
coal
Measure word · 块
Examples
- 煤。Zhè ge gōng chǎng yòng méi fā diàn.This factory uses coal to generate electricity.
- 煤。Tā men cóng shān xī yùn lái hěn duō méi.They transported a lot of coal from Shanxi.
- 煤。Bù tóng zhǒng lèi de méi jià gé bù tóng.Different types of coal have different prices.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
煤 puts 火 (fire) on the left and 某 on the right; the fire part relates to coal, and 某 gives the sound.
Appears in
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