菜地 (cài dì) — vegetable plot

Definition

noun
vegetable plot
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 菜地。
    Wǒ jiā hòu yuàn yǒu yí kuài cài dì.
    There is a vegetable plot in my backyard.
  • 菜地。
    Yé ye měi tiān zài cài dì lǐ zhòng cài.
    Grandpa grows vegetables in the plot every day.
  • 菜地。
    Zhè piàn cài dì zhǒng le hěn duō bái cài.
    This vegetable plot has a lot of Chinese cabbage planted.

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.

菜càivegetable
地dìplot

菜 means vegetable and 地 means plot, so together they name a vegetable plot.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
采
采cǎi菜cài
Same sound today

菜 has 艹 (grass/plants) on top and 采 below; the top part shows it is a plant, while 采 gives the sound.

Open 菜 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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