烧窑 (shāo yáo) — kiln firing; the process of firing ceramics in a kiln

Definition

Refers to the craft/process of firing ceramics in a kiln — a specialized technical term in traditional pottery-making, not the act of building a fire generally.

noun
kiln firingthe process of firing ceramics in a kiln

Examples

  • 烧窑。
    Chuán tǒng de shāo yáo gōng yì fēi cháng jiǎng jiu huǒ hou.
    Traditional kiln firing techniques are very particular about temperature control.
  • 烧窑。
    Tā xué xí shāo yáo yǐ jīng sān nián le.
    He has been learning kiln firing for three years.
  • 烧窑。
    Zhè ge yáo chǎng de shāo yáo jì shù hěn yǒu míng.
    This kiln factory's firing technique is very famous.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

烧shāofire/burn
窑yáokiln

烧 means fire or burn, and 窑 means kiln; together firing a kiln.

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 燒; 烧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo燒shāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 燒 pairs 火 (fire) with 堯, which supplies the sound; the simplified 烧 is a shorthand.

Open 烧 →

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 窯; 窑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave; hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
羔
羔gāo窯yáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 窯 has 穴 (hole) for a hole used to fire pottery, and 羔 for the sound. The simplified 窑 is a later shorthand.

Open 窑 →

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