Definition
灶 (zào) refers to a stove or cooking range, especially a traditional brick or earthen one, and is also used for a communal dining facility (mess/canteen) in military or institutional settings. It differs from 炉子 (lú zi), which is a more general 'stove, furnace, or oven' for heating or cooking, and from 厨房 (chú fáng), which means 'kitchen' as a room, not the cooking appliance itself.
noun
kitchen stovecooking rangecommunal dining facilitymesscanteen (esp. in institutional contexts)
Easily confused
- 炼liànlook-aliketo refine (skills, writing, etc.)
- 早zǎosound-alikeearly
- 灭mièlook-aliketo extinguish, to put out (a fire, light, etc.)
- 糟zāosound-aliketerrible; in a bad state
- 造zàosound-aliketo build; to construct; to manufacture
- 凿záosound-aliketo chisel, to bore, to dig
- 枣zǎosound-alikejujube (Chinese date)
Examples
- 灶。Lǎojiā de zào háishì yòng cháihuo shāo de.The stove back in my hometown still burns firewood.
- 灶，。Zhè cì péixùn de dàzào 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。Liánduì zào de huǒshí yào gǎishàn yīxià.The food in the company mess needs to be improved.
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