稻草 (dào cǎo) — rice straw | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

rice straw

Measure word · 根

Examples

稻草。
Shōu gē hòu de dào cǎo shài gān le jiù kě yǐ kǔn qǐ lái.
After harvest, the rice straw can be bundled up once it's dry.
稻草。
Zhè xiē dào cǎo yòng lái fù gài cài dì fáng zhǐ zá cǎo.
This rice straw is used to cover vegetable plots to prevent weeds.
稻草。
Nǎi nai yòng dào cǎo biān le yí gè xiǎo lán zi.
Grandma wove a small basket out of rice straw.

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.

稻草 joins 稻 (rice) and 草 (straw) to name the straw left by rice plants.

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.

禾舀稻

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hégrain, cereal, rice

Sound part声符shēngfú

舀

舀yǎo稻dào

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

稻 uses 禾, the grain plant, to show its meaning, and 舀 for its sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

艹早草

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

早

早zǎo草cǎo

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

草 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 早, which gives the sound. The form originally referred to another word and was later used for the grass sense.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Agriculture & Farming

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