沙船 (shā chuán) — large flat-bottomed boat (traditional Chinese sailing vessel)

Definition

沙船 (shā chuán) is a traditional flat-bottomed Chinese sailing ship designed for shallow coastal and river waters, known for its broad beam and shallow draft.

noun
large flat-bottomed boat (traditional Chinese sailing vessel)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 沙船。
    Zhè sōu shā chuán shì gǔ dài hǎi shàng mào yì de zhòng yào gōng jù.
    This sand boat was an important tool for ancient maritime trade.
  • 沙船。
    Lǎo yú mín zhèng zài xiū lǐ tā de shā chuán.
    The old fisherman is repairing his sand boat.
  • 沙船。
    Bó wù guǎn lǐ chén liè zhe yì sōu míng dài shā chuán de mó xíng.
    The museum displays a model of a Ming-dynasty sand boat.

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.

沙shāsand
船chuánboat

沙 meaning sand and 船 meaning boat name a flat-bottomed boat.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

沙 puts 少 (dots) beside 水 (water), showing sand on a shoreline.

Open 沙 →

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
舟舟zhōuboat
Sound part声符shēngfú
㕣
㕣㕣船
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

船 pairs 舟 (boat) with 㕣 for its sound.

Open 船 →

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