牙签 (yá qiān) — toothpick | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

toothpick

Measure word · 根

，牙签。
Chī wán fàn yǐ hòu, tā yòng yá qiān tī yá.
After eating, he used a toothpick to pick his teeth.
牙签。
Qǐng bāng wǒ ná yì gēn yá qiān.
Please help me get a toothpick.
牙签。
Zhè ge yá qiān shì mù tou de.
This toothpick is made of wood.

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.

签qiānthin stick

牙 means tooth, and 签 means a thin stick, so the combined sense is a stick for the teeth.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 籤; 签 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 签 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (签, 签订) it is 簽; in others it is 籤.

竹韱籤

Meaning part形符xíngfú

竹竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

韱

韱xiān籤⁰qiān(r)

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 籤 shows 竹, bamboo, for the material, plus 韱 to give the sound; the simplified 签 is a later shorthand.

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