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燧石 (suì shí) — flint

Definition

noun
flint
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 燧石。
    Gǔ rén yòng suì shí lái qǔ huǒ.
    Ancient people used flint to start fires.
  • 燧石，。
    Zhè kuài suì shí hěn jiān yìng, shì hé zuò gōng jù.
    This piece of flint is very hard, suitable for making tools.
  • 燧石。
    Tā yòng suì shí hé huáng tiě kuàng cā chū le huǒ huā.
    He struck a spark by rubbing flint against pyrite.

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.

燧suìfire-stone
石shístone

燧 (fire-stone) + 石 (stone) names the stone used to strike fire.

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
遂
遂suì燧suì
Same sound today

燧 uses 火 to show fire and 遂 to give the suì sound.

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

The shape of 石 shows a stone under a cliff-like overhang, or a cave set into a cliff side.

Open 石 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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