吸管 (xī guǎn) — (drinking) straw | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

吸管 (xī guǎn) literally means 'suck tube' and covers a drinking straw, a pipette/eyedropper, and a snorkel — anything you suck liquid or air through. The shared 草 'straw' sense refers to dried plant stalks, not this tube.

noun

(drinking) straw

Measure word · 支

Examples

吸管。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì zhī xīn xī guǎn.
Please give me a new straw.
吸管。
Tā yòng xī guǎn qǔ le yì dī shuǐ.
He used a pipette to take a drop of water.
吸管。
Qián shuǐ de shí hou yòng xī guǎn hū xī.
Use a snorkel to breathe while diving.

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.

A 管 (tube) for 吸 (sucking) names a straw or pipette.

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.

口及吸

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

及

及jí吸xī

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

吸 pairs 口 (mouth) with 及, which gives the sound and relates to grabbing, so the shape suggests grabbing through the mouth.

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

竹官管

Meaning part形符xíngfú

竹竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

官

官guān管guǎn

Same sound today

管 has 竹 (bamboo) on top to show it relates to bamboo, and 官 gives its sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Kitchenware & Tableware

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.