盐巴 (yán bā) — salt (regional term, common in southwestern Mandarin)

Definition

盐巴 is a casual, regional word for 'salt' — same meaning as the standard 盐, but with a folksy, everyday tone. You'll hear it most in southwestern and rural speech rather than in writing or formal contexts.

noun
salt (regional term, common in southwestern Mandarin)

Examples

  • 盐巴，。
    Zuò cài de shí hou shǎo fàng diǎn yán bā, duì shēn tǐ hǎo.
    Add less salt when cooking; it's good for your health.
  • 盐巴。
    Wǒ zài chāo shì mǎi le yí dài yán bā.
    I bought a bag of salt at the supermarket.
  • 盐巴，。
    Zhè wǎn tāng lǐ wàng le fàng yán bā, wèi dào tài dàn le.
    I forgot to put salt in this bowl of soup; it tastes too bland.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

盐yánsalt
巴bāsuffix

盐 provides the meaning of salt, and 巴 completes the everyday word for it.

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 鹽; 盐 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鹵鹵lǔsalt
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān鹽yán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鹽 uses 鹵 to show salt and 監 for the sound; the simplified 盐 is a later shorthand.

Open 盐 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 巴 →

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