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烟酒 (yān jiǔ) — tobacco and alcohol; cigarettes and liquor

Definition

烟酒 is a set pairing of cigarettes/tobacco and alcohol, treated as a single category. It refers to the products themselves, not the habit of smoking and drinking.

noun
tobacco and alcoholcigarettes and liquor

Examples

  • 烟酒。
    Tā píng shí bú pèng yān jiǔ.
    He usually doesn't touch cigarettes or alcohol.
  • 烟酒。
    yān jiǔ Duì rén de jiàn kāng yǒu hài.
    Tobacco and alcohol are harmful to people's health.
  • 烟酒。
    Zhè jiā shāng diàn mài gè zhǒng yān jiǔ.
    This store sells various cigarettes and liquors.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

烟yāntobacco
酒jiǔalcohol

“烟” and “酒” stand side by side for tobacco products and alcoholic drinks.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
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.

Open 烟 →

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
酉
酉yǒu酒jiǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酒 pairs 酉, the original picture for this word, with 水 (water), added later to distinguish it.

Open 酒 →
Appears in
Alcohol & Tobacco

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