盐 (yán) — salt
Definition
noun
salt
Measure word · 粒
Examples
- 盐。Tāng lǐ fàng le jǐ lì yán.A few grains of salt were put in the soup.
- 盐。Yī shēng jiàn yì wǒ shǎo chī yán.The doctor advised me to eat less salt.
- 盐。Zuò cài de shí hou shǎo fàng yì diǎn yán.Put a little less salt when cooking.
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.
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.
Grammar
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