窑 (yáo) — kiln (for firing pottery, bricks, or lime); cave dwelling (窑洞)
Definition
A kiln — a large, traditional furnace for firing pottery, bricks, or lime (e.g. 砖窑, 烧窑). Unlike 炉子 (a household stove/oven) or 灶 (a kitchen cooking range), 窑 is for industrial-scale firing, and also means a cave dwelling (窑洞) in northern Shaanxi.
noun
kiln (for firing pottery, bricks, or lime)cave dwelling (窑洞)
Measure word · 座
Easily confused
Examples
- 窑。Zhè zuò yáo yǐ jīng yǒu yì bǎi duō nián de lì shǐ le.This kiln has a history of over a hundred years.
- 陕窑，。Shǎn běi de yáo dòng dōng nuǎn xià liáng, hěn shì hé jū zhù.The cave dwellings in northern Shaanxi are warm in winter and cool in summer, very suitable for living.
- 窑。Tā yé ye zài zhè ge yáo lǐ shāo le yí bèi zi zhuān.His grandfather spent his whole life firing bricks in this kiln.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 窯; 窑 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
羔
羔gāo窯yáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 窯 has 穴 (hole) for a hole used to fire pottery, and 羔 for the sound. The simplified 窑 is a later shorthand.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.