烧肉 (shāo ròu) — roast pork (especially Cantonese-style char siu or siu yuk)

Definition

noun
roast pork (especially Cantonese-style char siu or siu yuk)
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 烧肉。
    Wǒ xǐ huan chī shāo ròu.
    I like to eat roast pork.
  • 烧肉。
    Zhè jiā diàn de shāo ròu hěn hǎo chī.
    The roast pork at this restaurant is delicious.
  • 烧肉。
    Mā ma zuò le yì pán shāo ròu.
    Mom made a plate of roast pork.

Origin

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.

烧shāoroast
肉ròupork

Roast pork is named by the roasting method applied to the pork.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The original shape of 肉 showed ribs of an animal’s torso, or simply a slice of meat.

Open 肉 →

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