电炉 (diàn lú) — electric stove; hot plate; electric furnace

Definition

电炉 (diàn lú) covers both a household 'electric stove / hot plate' for cooking (厨房 example) and an industrial 'electric furnace' for smelting metal (工厂 example). The same word serves both senses — context decides which.

noun
electric stovehot plateelectric furnace
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 电炉。
    Chú fáng lǐ fàng zhe yì tái xīn diàn lú.
    There is a new electric stove in the kitchen.
  • 电炉。
    Tā yòng diàn lú shāo shuǐ pào chá.
    He uses a hot plate to boil water for tea.
  • 电炉。
    Zhè jiā gōng chǎng yòng diàn lú liàn gāng.
    This factory uses an electric furnace to smelt steel.

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.

电diànelectric
炉lústove

电 gives electric and 炉 gives stove or furnace; together an electric heating device.

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 電; 电 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn電diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 電, 雨 (rain) sits with 申, read shēn and meaning lightning.

Open 电 →

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
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
盧
盧lú炉lú
Same sound today

The older form combines 火 (fire) with 盧 (lú) for its sound; the modern 炉 is a later shorthand.

Open 炉 →

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