豆豉 (dòu chǐ) — fermented black soybeans (used in Chinese cooki…

Definition

noun

fermented black soybeans (used in Chinese cooking)

豆豉。
Zhè dào cài xū yào jiā yì xiē dòu chǐ tí wèi.
This dish needs some fermented black soybeans to enhance the flavor.
豆豉。
Wǒ mā ma yòng dòu chǐ hé suàn róng chǎo le yì pán qīng cài.
My mom stir-fried a plate of greens with fermented black soybeans and minced garlic.
豆豉。
Chāo shì lǐ mài de dòu chǐ tōng cháng shì zhēn kōng bāo zhuāng de.
The fermented black soybeans sold in supermarkets are usually vacuum-packed.

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.

豉chǐfermented soybeans

豆 names beans, and 豉 means fermented soybeans, yielding fermented black soybeans.

Characters in this word

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

豆 originally drew some kind of container. It was borrowed for its sound to write the plant name, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

豆支豉

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

支

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

豉 puts 豆 (bean) beside 支, which gives the sound.