皮蛋 (pí dàn) — preserved egg (century egg / thousand-year-old egg)

Definition

A Chinese preserved egg, also called century egg or thousand-year egg, made by curing duck or chicken eggs in an alkaline mixture. The yolk turns dark green and creamy; the white becomes amber and jelly-like — often eaten in congee or as a cold dish.

noun
preserved egg (century egg / thousand-year-old egg)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 皮蛋。
    Wǒ mā ma zuò de pí dàn shòu ròu zhōu hěn hǎo chī.
    The preserved egg and lean meat congee my mom makes is delicious.
  • 皮蛋，。
    Zhè dào liáng cài yòng le liǎng gè pí dàn, qiē chéng xiǎo kuài.
    This cold dish uses two preserved eggs, cut into small pieces.
  • 皮蛋。
    Hěn duō rén dì yī cì chī pí dàn de shí hou bú tài xí guàn.
    Many people aren't used to it the first time they eat preserved eggs.

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.

皮pískin; leathery
蛋dànegg

皮蛋 is an 蛋, egg, with a 皮, leathery skin, from preservation.

Characters in this word

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

皮 shows a hand pulling fur off an animal pelt, with the pelt drawn at the upper left.

Open 皮 →

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
虫虫chóngsnake, insect
Sound part声符shēngfú
延
延yán蛋dàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 蛋, the lower part 虫 is a snake or insect, and the upper part is a shortened 延 giving the sound for 'egg'.

Open 蛋 →

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