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橄榄油 (gǎn lǎn yóu) — olive oil

Definition

noun
olive oil
Measure word · 瓶

Examples

  • 橄榄油。
    Wǒ cháng yòng gǎn lǎn yóu zuò shā lā.
    I often use olive oil to make salad.
  • 橄榄油。
    Zhè zhǒng gǎn lǎn yóu shì cóng yì dà lì jìn kǒu de.
    This kind of olive oil is imported from Italy.
  • 橄榄油。
    Měi tiān chī yì diǎn gǎn lǎn yóu duì shēn tǐ hěn hǎo.
    Eating a little olive oil every day is good for your health.

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.

橄榄olive
橄gǎn榄lǎn
油yóuoil

橄榄 names the olive, and 油 gives oil, producing olive oil.

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
敢
敢gǎn橄
Same sound today

橄 uses 木 to point to a tree and 敢 to give the sound.

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 欖; 榄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
覽
覽lǎn欖lǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 欖 has 木 (tree) beside 覽, which gives the sound; the simplified 榄 is a later shorthand.

Open 榄 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
由
由yóu油yóu
Same sound today

油 is built from 氵, a water part, and 由, which supplies the sound.

Open 油 →
Appears in
Flavors & SeasoningsFood (General)

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