麦草 (mài cǎo) — wheat straw | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

wheat straw

Measure word · 根

麦草。
Nóng mín bǎ mài cǎo duī zài yuàn zi lǐ dāng sì liào.
The farmer piled the wheat straw in the yard for feed.
麦草。
Zhè zhǒng mài cǎo kě yǐ yòng lái zuò zhǐ hé cǎo mào.
This kind of wheat straw can be used to make paper and straw hats.
麦草。
Wū dǐng shàng de mài cǎo yǐ jīng shài gān le.
The wheat straw on the roof has dried.

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.

草cǎograss/straw

The 'wheat' sense and 'grass/straw' sense combine to name wheat straw.

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 麥; 麦 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

夊夊suīfootprint pointing down; to walk slowly

Sound part声符shēngfú

來

來lái麥mài

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 麦, the traditional form 麥 pairs 來, which gives the sound and once meant wheat, with 夊, a footprint pointing down for slow walking.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

艹早草

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

早

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

草 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 早, which gives the sound. The form originally referred to another word and was later used for the grass sense.

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