木炭 (mù tàn) — charcoal | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

charcoal

Measure word · 块

Examples

木炭，。
Shāo kǎo shí zuì hǎo yòng mù tàn, huǒ hou gèng jūn yún.
It's best to use charcoal for barbecue; the heat is more even.
木炭。
Gǔ dài wén rén cháng yòng mù tàn zuò huà.
Ancient literati often used charcoal to make paintings.
木炭，。
Zhè zhǒng mù tàn rán shāo shí jiān cháng, shì hé dōng tiān qǔ nuǎn.
This type of charcoal burns for a long time and is suitable for winter heating.

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.

炭tàncharcoal

“木” points to wood as the material, while “炭” denotes charcoal.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

火火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

岸

岸àn炭tàn

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

炭 combines 火 (fire) with 岸, which provides the sound. The 火 part connects the character to fire or burning material.

Appears in

Materials & Substances

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