铁锹 (tiě qiāo) — spade, shovel | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

spadeshovel

Measure word · 把

铁锹。
Tā yòng tiě qiāo wā le yí gè kēng.
He dug a hole with a spade.
铁锹，。
Zhè bǎ tiě qiāo hěn zhòng, bú tài hǎo yòng.
This shovel is very heavy and not easy to use.
铁锹。
Nóng mín ná zhe tiě qiāo qù tián lǐ gàn huó.
The farmer took a spade to work in the fields.

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 means iron and 锹 means shovel, so 铁锹 names a metal digging tool.

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.

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 鍬; 锹 is its simplified writing.

金秋鍬

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

秋

秋qiū鍬qiāo

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

The traditional form 鍬 pairs 金, metal, with 秋 for the sound; the simplified 锹 is a later abbreviation.

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