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杂货 (zá huò) — sundry goods, groceries

Definition

noun
sundry goodsgroceries
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • ，。
    Zhè jiā zá huò diàn suī rán bú dà, dàn dōng xī hěn quán.
    Although this grocery store is not big, it has a very complete selection.
  • ，。
    Tā kāi le yì jiā zá huò pù, mài gè zhǒng rì yòng pǐn.
    He opened a sundry shop selling various daily necessities.
  • 杂货，。
    Chuán shàng de zá huò gōng yìng bù zú, xū yào jǐn kuài bǔ chōng.
    The provisions on the ship are insufficient and need to be replenished as soon as possible.

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.

杂zásundry
货huògoods

杂 means mixed or sundry, and 货 means goods, so together they describe miscellaneous goods.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 雜; 杂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yī
Sound part声符shēngfú
集
集jí雜zá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 雜 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 集 as a sound part, originally referring to mixed colours, perhaps in dyed clothes; the simplified 杂 is a later shorthand.

Open 杂 →

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 貨; 货 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell, money
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà貨huò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貨 pairs 化 (sound) with 貝 (shell, money) to write valuable goods; the simplified 货 is a shorthand.

Open 货 →
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