TongTong
Sign in

灶 (zào) — kitchen stove; cooking range; communal dining facility; mess; canteen (esp. in institutional contexts)

Definition

灶 is a traditional or institutional word for a cooking stove — the fire-and-hearth appliance itself, not the room (厨房) or the cookware (锅). It also refers to a communal dining hall, especially in the military, schools, or factories.

noun
kitchen stovecooking rangecommunal dining facilitymesscanteen (esp. in institutional contexts)
Measure word · 口
Easily confused

Examples

  • 灶。
    Lǎo jiā de zào hái shì yòng chái huǒ shāo de.
    The stove back in my hometown still burns firewood.
  • 灶，。
    Zhè cì péi xùn de dà zào bǐ shàng cì hǎo duō le, měi dùn dōu yǒu ròu.
    The large mess at this training is much better than last time — there's meat every meal.
  • 灶。
    Lián duì zào de huǒ shí yào gǎi shàn yí xià.
    The food in the company mess needs to be improved.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

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

灶 combines 火 (fire) and 土 (soil), showing a fire built on the earth as a stove.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Kitchenware & Tableware

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.