底火 (dǐ huǒ) — low fire in a stove (before adding fuel); (military) primer, ignition cartridge

Definition

Two distinct senses: (1) the low flame remaining in a stove before adding fresh fuel; (2) in military contexts, the primer or ignition cartridge of a round of ammunition.

noun
low fire in a stove (before adding fuel)(military) primerignition cartridge

Examples

  • ，底火，。
    Shēng huǒ shí, xiān jiā dǐ huǒ, zài fàng mù chái.
    When starting a fire, first add the low fire, then put in the wood.
  • 底火，。
    Zhè zhǒng zǐ dàn de dǐ huǒ hěn mǐn gǎn, yào xiǎo xīn cún fàng.
    The primer of this type of bullet is very sensitive; store it carefully.
  • 底火。
    Pào bīng jiǎn chá le dǐ huǒ shì fǒu ān zhuāng zhèng què.
    The artillery checked whether the primer was installed correctly.

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.

底dǐbase
火huǒfire

底 is the low base, and 火 is fire, giving a primer or low stove fire.

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
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 →

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

火 is a simple drawing of a fire, with flames shown rising upward.

Open 火 →

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