火腿 (huǒ tuǐ) — ham | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

ham

Measure word · 个

火腿。
Wǒ mǎi le yí gè huǒ tuǐ.
I bought a ham.
火腿。
Tā zǎo shàng xǐ huan chī huǒ tuǐ sān míng zhì.
He likes to eat ham sandwiches in the morning.
火腿。
Mā ma qiè le yì pán huǒ tuǐ.
Mom sliced a plate of ham.

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.

'火腿' pairs 火 and 腿, a leg meat linked with fire or smoke-curing.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

火 is a simple drawing of a fire, with flames shown rising upward.

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

肉肉ròuflesh

Sound part声符shēngfú

退

Same sound today

The 肉 part is flesh, showing a body part; the 退 part gives the sound.

Appears in