菜馆 (cài guǎn) — restaurant | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

restaurant

Measure word · 家

菜馆。
Zhè jiā cài guǎn de cài wèi dào hěn hǎo.
The food at this restaurant tastes very good.
菜馆。
Wǒ men jīn wǎn qù nà jiā xīn kāi de cài guǎn chī fàn ba.
Let's go eat at that newly opened restaurant tonight.
菜馆。
Zhè tiáo jiē shàng kāi le hǎo jǐ jiā cài guǎn.
Several restaurants have opened on this street.

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.

馆guǎnestablishment

菜 points to the food served, 馆 to the place; together they mean a restaurant.

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.

艹采菜

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

采

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.

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 館; 馆 is its simplified writing.

飠官館

Meaning part形符xíngfú

飠Written in full as食shí

Sound part声符shēngfú

官

Same sound today

The traditional form 館 is made of 食, written as 飠 on the left, and 官 on the right; 官 provides the sound. The simplified 馆 is a later shorthand.