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冰块 (bīng kuài) — ice cube; chunk of ice

Definition

noun
ice cubechunk of ice
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 冰块。
    Qǐng jiā sān kuài bīng kuài dào bēi zi lǐ.
    Please add three ice cubes to the glass.
  • 冰块。
    Xià tiān hē yǐn liào yào fàng bīng kuài cái liáng kuai.
    In summer, drinks need ice cubes to be cool.
  • 冰块，。
    Dì shàng yǒu yí dà kuài bīng kuài, xiǎo xīn huá dǎo.
    There's a big chunk of ice on the ground, be careful not to slip.

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.

冰bīngice
块kuàiblock

A block of ice: 冰 names the substance and 块 the piece.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
冫
仌bīng冰bīng
Same sound today

冰 adds 水 (water) to 冫, the short form of 仌; 冫 gives the sound, and 水 shows the meaning.

Open 冰 →

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 塊; 块 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth; dust
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬼
鬼guǐ塊kuài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 塊 pairs 土 (earth; dust) with 鬼 as a sound part to show a clod of dirt. The simplified 块 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 块 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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