八角 (bā jiǎo) — (botany) star anise, a spice used in Chinese cooking; octagon, octagonal shape

Definition

Literally 'eight corners'. Refers to both the spice star anise (八角茴香) used in braised dishes, and the octagonal shape with eight sides — same word for both meanings.

noun
(botany) star anisea spice used in Chinese cookingoctagonoctagonal shape
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 八角，。
    Dùn ròu de shí hou fàng jǐ kē bā jiǎo, wèi dào tè bié xiāng.
    Add a few star anise when braising meat — the flavor is especially fragrant.
  • 八角。
    Zhè ge jiàn zhù de dǐ zuò shì bā jiǎo xíng de.
    The base of this building is octagonal in shape.
  • 八角，。
    Wǒ zài chāo shì mǎi le yì bāo bā jiǎo, zhǔn bèi zuò lǔ cài.
    I bought a pack of star anise at the supermarket, planning to make braised dishes.

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.

八bāeight
角jiǎopoint

八 eight and 角 point; together eight-pointed, hence star anise or octagonal.

Characters in this word

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

八 shows two bent lines, indicating the original meaning 'to divide'; it was later used for 'eight' because the words sounded alike.

Open 八 →

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

The form 角 is a picture of a horn.

Open 角 →

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