蛋 (dàn) — egg
Definition
noun
egg
Measure word · 个
Easily confused
- 胥xūlook-alike(literary) all; completely; entirely
- 但dànsound-alikebut, yet, however (conjunction indicating contrast)
- 石dànsound-alike(measure) unit of dry volume equal to 10 斗 (about 100 liters)
- 淡dànsound-alikebland, weak, insipid (of taste or concentration)
- 担dànsound-alike(noun) a load carried on a shoulder pole; a burden
- 氮dànsound-alikenitrogen
Examples
- 蛋。Měi tiān zǎo shàng wǒ chī yí gè dàn.I eat an egg every morning.
- 蛋。Zhè ge dàn shì yuán de.This egg is round.
- 蛋。Mǔ qīn zài bīng xiāng lǐ fàng le hěn duō dàn.Mother put many eggs in the fridge.
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.
In 蛋, the lower part 虫 is a snake or insect, and the upper part is a shortened 延 giving the sound for 'egg'.
Appears in
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