香炉 (xiāng lú) — incense burner | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

incense burner

Measure word · 个

香炉。
Wǒ zài miào lǐ kàn jiàn yí gè xiāng lú.
I saw an incense burner in the temple.
香炉。
Zhè ge xiāng lú shì tóng zuò de.
This incense burner is made of copper.
香炉。
Tā zài xiāng lú lǐ diǎn rán le yì zhī xiāng.
She lit an incense stick in the incense burner.

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.

香 means incense and 炉 means burner; together they name a burner for incense.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

香's early form paired 黍 (glutinous millet) with 口 (mouth), perhaps showing millet drink being taken in or offered.

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

盧

盧lú炉lú

Same sound today

The older form combines 火 (fire) with 盧 (lú) for its sound; the modern 炉 is a later shorthand.