平底锅 (píng dǐ guō) — flat-bottomed pan; frying pan

Definition

noun

flat-bottomed panfrying pan

Measure word · 口

Examples

平底锅。
Wǒ yòng píng dǐ guō jiān le yí gè jī dàn.
I fried an egg in a flat-bottomed pan.
平底锅。
Zhè ge píng dǐ guō de bǎ shǒu huài le.
The handle of this pan is broken.
平底锅。
Mā ma yòng píng dǐ guō zuò le hěn duō cài.
Mom cooked many dishes using the flat-bottomed pan.

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.

平底flat bottom

平píngflat底dǐbottom

偏正Modifier + head

锅guōpan

平 means flat and 底 means bottom, describing a 锅 pan with a flat bottom.

Characters in this word

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

八八bādivision
亏亏kuīexhaled air

The origin is uncertain. One explanation combines 八 (division) and 亏 (exhaled air) to show smooth speech.

Open 平 →

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

广氐底

Meaning part形符xíngfú

广广guǎngbuilding

Sound part声符shēngfú

氐

氐dī底dǐ

Same sound today

底 pairs 广 (building) with 氐, pointing to the bottom or foundation of a building. Some read 氐 as a bowing figure or tree root, adding a sense of 'down'.

Open 底 →

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 鍋; 锅 is its simplified writing.

金咼鍋

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

咼

咼wāi鍋guō

Same sound today

In the traditional form 鍋, 金 marks metal and 咼 provides the sound; the simplified 锅 is a later shorthand.

Open 锅 →