发酵粉 (fā jiào fěn) — baking powder; leavening powder

Definition

noun

baking powderleavening powder

发酵粉。
Zuò dàn gāo de shí hou bié wàng le jiā fā jiào fěn.
Don't forget to add baking powder when making cake.
发酵粉。
Zhè zhǒng fā jiào fěn yù shuǐ jiù huì chǎn shēng qì pào.
This baking powder produces bubbles when it meets water.
发酵粉。
Chāo shì yǒu gè zhǒng pǐn pái de fā jiào fěn chū shòu.
The supermarket sells different brands of baking powder.

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.

发酵fermentation

发fārise酵jiàoferment

联合Side by side

发酵 means fermentation, and 粉 is powder, so the word names a powder that makes dough rise.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

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

酉孝酵

Meaning part形符xíngfú

酉酉yǒu

Sound part声符shēngfú

孝

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

酵 pairs 酉, a vessel for making drink, with 孝, which gives the sound; 孝’s ‘young + old’ parts also hint at aging in the vessel, as fermentation does.

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

米分粉

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

分

Same sound today

粉 pairs 米 (rice) with 分 for its sound. The rice part points to face powder made from rice.