磨刀石 (mò dāo shí) — whetstone; grindstone

Definition

noun

whetstonegrindstone

Measure word · 块

磨刀石。
Tā yòng mò dāo shí bǎ dāo mó dé hěn fēng lì.
He used a whetstone to sharpen the knife very sharp.
磨刀石。
Zhè kuài mò dāo shí yòng le hěn duō nián le.
This grindstone has been used for many years.
磨刀石。
Mǎi yí kuài hǎo de mò dāo shí hěn zhòng yào.
Buying a good whetstone is very important.

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.

磨刀sharpen a knife

磨mógrind/sharpen刀dāoknife

动宾Verb + object

磨刀 describes sharpening a knife, and 石 names the stone used for that.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

靡

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

磨 combines 石, showing rock, with 靡 for the sound.

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

The shape of 刀 comes from a simple picture of a knife.

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.