瓶装 (píng zhuāng) — bottled

Definition

adjective
bottled

Examples

  • 瓶装。
    Wǒ xǐ huan hē píng zhuāng shuǐ.
    I like to drink bottled water.
  • 瓶装。
    Zhè jiā diàn mài píng zhuāng pí jiǔ.
    This shop sells bottled beer.
  • 瓶装。
    Tā mǎi le yì xiāng píng zhuāng niú nǎi.
    He bought a case of bottled milk.

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.

瓶píngbottle
装zhuāngpack

瓶 for bottle plus 装 for packing gives the idea of packed in bottles.

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
瓦瓦wǎearthenware
Sound part声符shēngfú
并
并bìng瓶píng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

瓶 uses 瓦 to show an earthenware vessel and 并 for the sound. The original vessel had a long slender neck and narrow mouth.

Open 瓶 →

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 裝; 装 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
壯
壯zhuàng裝zhuāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 裝 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 壯 as a sound part; this story is about 裝, not the simplified 装.

Open 装 →

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