烟盒 (yān hé) — cigarette case | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

cigarette case

Measure word · 个

烟盒。
Zhè ge yān hé hěn piào liang.
This cigarette case is very pretty.
烟盒。
Tā bǎ yān hé fàng zài zhuō zi shàng.
He put the cigarette case on the table.
烟盒。
Wǒ zhǎo dào le wǒ de yān hé.
I found my cigarette case.

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yāncigarette

烟 (cigarette) + 盒 (box) is a box for cigarettes.

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.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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