盐矿 (yán kuàng) — salt mine

Definition

noun
salt mine
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 盐矿。
    Zhè zuò yán kuàng yǐ jīng yǒu jǐ bǎi nián de lì shǐ le.
    This salt mine has a history of several hundred years.
  • 盐矿。
    Gōng rén men cóng yán kuàng lǐ yùn chū le dà liàng de yán.
    The workers transported large amounts of salt out of the salt mine.
  • 盐矿。
    Yóu kè kě yǐ jìn rù gǔ lǎo de yán kuàng cān guān.
    Tourists can enter the ancient salt mine to visit.

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.

盐yánsalt
矿kuàngmine

盐矿 is a mine for extracting 盐.

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 鹽; 盐 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鹵鹵lǔsalt
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān鹽yán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鹽 uses 鹵 to show salt and 監 for the sound; the simplified 盐 is a later shorthand.

Open 盐 →

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 礦; 矿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
廣
廣guǎng礦kuàng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 礦 shows 石, meaning stone, beside 廣, which gives the sound. The simplified 矿 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 矿 →

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