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酸黄瓜 (suān huáng guā) — pickled cucumber; dill pickle

Definition

noun
pickled cucumberdill pickle
Measure word · 根

Examples

  • 酸黄瓜，。
    Wǒ xǐ huan chī suān huáng guā, cuì cuì de hěn hǎo chī.
    I like eating pickled cucumbers; they are crunchy and delicious.
  • 酸黄瓜，。
    Zhè jiā cān guǎn de suān huáng guā wèi dào hěn hǎo, měi cì lái dōu yào diǎn.
    This restaurant's pickled cucumbers taste great; I order them every time I come.
  • 酸黄瓜，。
    Zì jǐ zuò suān huáng guā qí shí bù nán, zhǐ yào bǎ huáng guā fàng zài cù hé táng lǐ yān jǐ tiān jiù hǎo.
    Making pickled cucumbers yourself is not difficult; just marinate the cucumbers in vinegar and sugar for a few days.

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.

酸suānsour
黄瓜cucumber
黄huángyellow瓜guāmelon
偏正Modifier + head

酸 gives the sour taste and 黄瓜 names the cucumber, together describing a pickled 黄瓜.

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
酉酉yǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
夋
夋qūn酸suān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酸 is built from 酉 and 夋, and 夋 gives the sound.

Open 酸 →

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 黃; 黄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
炗
炗guāng黃huáng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 黃 pairs 田 (field) with 炗 (light), which gives the sound; the simplified 黄 is a shorthand and its parts are not historical components.

Open 黄 →

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

The shape of 瓜 is drawn from a melon hanging from its vines, which matches its meaning.

Open 瓜 →
Appears in
Food (General)Vegetables

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