铁门 (tiě mén) — iron gate; metal grille

Definition

noun

iron gatemetal grille

Measure word · 扇

铁门。
Gōng chǎng de tiě mén hěn jiān gù.
The factory's iron gate is very sturdy.
铁门。
Nà shàn jiù chuāng hu shàng zhuāng zhe yí shàn tiě mén.
That old window has an iron grille installed.
铁门。
Tā men zài dà mén kǒu ān le yí shàn xīn tiě mén.
They installed a new iron gate at the main entrance.

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 (iron) specifies the material of 门 (gate).

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.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Appears in