番茄酱 (fān qié jiàng) — ketchup; tomato sauce

Definition

noun
ketchuptomato sauce
Measure word · 瓶

Examples

  • 番茄酱。
    Wǒ xǐ huan bǎ fān qié jiàng fàng zài shǔ tiáo shàng chī.
    I like to put ketchup on French fries.
  • ，番茄酱。
    Zuò yì dà lì miàn shí, tā huì jiā yì xiē fān qié jiàng.
    When making pasta, he adds some tomato sauce.
  • 番茄酱。
    Mā ma ràng wǒ qù chāo shì mǎi yì píng fān qié jiàng.
    Mom asked me to go to the supermarket and buy a bottle of ketchup.

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.

番茄tomato
番fānforeign茄qiéeggplant
偏正Modifier + head
酱jiàngsauce

番茄 (tomato) + 酱 (sauce) makes a tomato-based sauce, such as ketchup.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tián
Sound part声符shēngfú
釆
釆biàn番fān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

番 is built from 釆 and 田: 釆 supplies a sound, and 田 is the meaning part, though the original sense is unclear.

Open 番 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
加
加jiā茄jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 茄, the top 艹 marks a plant, and the lower 加 gives the sound.

Open 茄 →

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 醬; 酱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
酉酉yǒudrink
Sound part声符shēngfú
將
將jiāng醬jiàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 醬 pairs 將, which suggests the sound, with 酉, a drink; the simplified 酱 is a later abbreviation.

Open 酱 →
Appears in
Flavors & Seasonings

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