烟灰 (yān huī) — cigarette ash | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

cigarette ash

烟灰。
Tā bǎ yān huī tán jìn le yān huī gāng lǐ.
He flicked the ash into the ashtray.
烟灰。
Zhuō zi shàng luò le yī céng yān huī.
A layer of ash had fallen on the table.
烟灰。
Chōu yān shí yào zhù yì bié ràng yān huī diào zài dì shàng.
When smoking, be careful not to let the ash drop on the floor.

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.

烟yāntobacco/cigarette

烟灰 pairs 烟 “tobacco/cigarette” with 灰 “ash”, giving the ash left by a cigarette.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 煙; 烟 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 烟 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (烟) it is 煙; in others it is 菸.

火垔煙

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

垔

垔yīn煙yān

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

This story is about the traditional form 煙, not the simplified 烟. It pairs 火, fire, with 垔, which gives the sound.

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

灰 shows 火 (fire) that can be touched by 又 (hand), meaning ash.

Appears in