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铁钉 (tiě dīng) — iron nails

Definition

noun
iron nails
Measure word · 颗

Examples

  • 铁钉。
    Tā yòng tiě dīng bǎ mù bǎn gù dìng zhù le.
    He fixed the plank with iron nails.
  • 铁钉，。
    Zhè hé tiě dīng yǐ jīng shēng xiù le, bù néng zài yòng.
    This box of iron nails is already rusty and can't be used anymore.
  • 铁钉，。
    Mǎi yì bāo tiě dīng, zhǔn bèi xiū lǐ jiù yǐ zi.
    Buy a pack of iron nails to prepare for repairing the old chair.

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.

铁tiěiron
钉dīngnail

铁 gives the material, and 钉 is the nail.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鐵; 铁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢧤
𢧤𢧤鐵tiě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鐵 pairs 金 (metal) with 𢧤 as a sound part; the simplified 铁 is a later shorthand.

Open 铁 →

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 釘; 钉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng釘dīng
Same sound today

The traditional 釘 pairs 金 (metal) with 丁 for sound; some theorize 丁 originally meant “nail,” so 釘 was created to write that word with metal added. The simplified 钉 is a shorthand.

Open 钉 →
Appears in
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