杂货铺 (zá huò pū) — grocery store

Definition

noun
grocery store
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 杂货铺。
    Tā jiā fù jìn yǒu yì jiā xiǎo zá huò pū.
    There's a small grocery store near his home.
  • 杂货铺，。
    Zhè jiā zá huò pū suī rán bú dà, dàn dōng xī hěn quán.
    This grocery store is not big, but it has a good variety of goods.
  • 杂货铺。
    Xiǎo shí hou wǒ cháng qù cūn kǒu de zá huò pū mǎi líng shí.
    When I was young, I often went to the grocery store at the village entrance to buy snacks.

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.

杂货
杂zámiscellaneous货huògoods
偏正Modifier + head
铺pùshop

杂货 miscellaneous goods and 铺 shop combine to mean a store selling many 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 →

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 鋪; 铺 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīngold; metal
Sound part声符shēngfú
甫
甫fǔ鋪pū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鋪 pairs 金 (gold; metal) with 甫 as a sound part; the simplified 铺 is a shorthand.

Open 铺 →

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