小苏打 (xiǎo sū dá) — baking soda, sodium bicarbonate

Definition

noun

baking sodasodium bicarbonate

，小苏打。
Zuò dàn gāo shí, kě yǐ jiā yì diǎn xiǎo sū dá lái bāng zhù fā jiào.
When making cake, you can add a little baking soda to help it rise.
小苏打。
Yòng xiǎo sū dá hé shuǐ kě yǐ qīng lǐ chú fáng de yóu wū.
You can use baking soda and water to clean kitchen grease.
小苏打，。
Yá gāo lǐ hán yǒu xiǎo sū dá, kě yǐ měi bái yá chǐ.
Toothpaste contains baking soda, which can whiten teeth.

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.

苏打soda

小 (small) and 苏打 (soda) refer to baking soda.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

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 蘇; 苏 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 苏 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words it is 蘇; in others it is 甦 or 囌.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

穌

穌sū蘇Sū

Same sound today

The traditional form 蘇 uses 艸 (grass; plant) for meaning and 穌 for sound; the simplified 苏 is a later shorthand.

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

扌丁打

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

打 uses 扌, a hand, to show an action done with the hand, and 丁 to give the sound.