酒窖 (jiǔ jiào) — wine cellar; liquor cellar (for cool fermentation, aging, or storage)

Definition

noun
wine cellarliquor cellar (for cool fermentation, aging, or storage)
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 酒窖
    Zhè jiā cān tīng de dì xià jiǔ jiào lǐ cún le shàng qiān píng hóng jiǔ.
    This restaurant's underground wine cellar stores over a thousand bottles of red wine.
  • 酒窖
    Tā huā le hěn duō qián jiàn zào le yí gè sī rén jiǔ jiào.
    He spent a lot of money building a private wine cellar.
  • 酒窖
    jiǔ jiào De wēn dù bì xū bǎo chí zài shí dù zuǒ yòu.
    The temperature of the wine cellar must be kept around ten degrees.

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.

jiàocellar

The cellar 窖 is specified by the wine 酒 it stores.

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

酒 pairs 酉, the original picture for this word, with 水 (water), added later to distinguish it.

Open 酒 →

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
xuéhole; cave
Sound part声符shēngfú
gàojiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

窖 has 穴, a hole or cave, and 告, which gives the sound.

Open 窖 →

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