碎末 (suì mò) — crumbs, particles, fragments (of a solid substa…

Definition

noun

crumbsparticlesfragments (of a solid substance)

Measure word · 些

碎末。
Dì shàng yǒu hěn duō miàn bāo suì mò.
There are a lot of bread crumbs on the floor.
，碎末。
Bǐng gān yā suì le, biàn chéng le suì mò.
The cookies were crushed and turned into crumbs.
碎末。
Zhè xiē bō li suì mò hěn wēi xiǎn.
These glass fragments are very dangerous.

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.

末mòparticles/powder

The 碎 'crushed' state yields 末 'particles', naming crumbs.

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.

石卒碎

Meaning part形符xíngfú

石石shístone

Sound part声符shēngfú

卒

卒zú碎suì

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

碎 pairs 石 (stone) with 卒, which gives the sound; the stone part is tied to the sense of breaking or smashing.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

末 adds a mark at the top of a tree-like shape to show its tip or end.