木柴 (mù chái) — firewood | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

firewood

Measure word · 根

Examples

木柴。
Wǒ men shēng huǒ xū yào yì xiē mù chái.
We need some firewood to make a fire.
，木柴。
Dōng tiān shí, nóng mín huì chǔ cún hěn duō mù chái.
In winter, farmers store a lot of firewood.
木柴，。
Zhè xiē mù chái tài shī le, diǎn bù zháo.
This firewood is too wet to light.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

Both 木 and 柴 refer to wood or fuel, together naming material used for burning.

Characters in this word

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

木 is drawn as a tree, with branches above and roots below.

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

此木柴

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

此

此cǐ柴chái

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

In 柴, the lower part 木 shows it is about wood, while the upper part 此 supplies the sound.

Appears in

Materials & Substances

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