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粽子 (zòng zi) — zongzi (traditional Chinese rice dumpling made with glutinous rice and fillings, wrapped in leaves)

Definition

A traditional Chinese rice dumpling: glutinous rice with sweet or savory fillings, wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves and boiled. Most famously eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (端午节).

noun
zongzi (traditional Chinese rice dumpling made with glutinous rice and fillings, wrapped in leaves)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，粽子。
    Duān wǔ jié de shí hou, wǒ men jiā zǒng shì zì jǐ bāo zòng zi chī.
    During the Dragon Boat Festival, our family always makes zongzi ourselves.
  • 粽子。
    Chāo shì lǐ mài de zòng zi yǒu tián de hé xián de liǎng zhǒng.
    The zongzi sold in supermarkets come in sweet and savory types.
  • 粽子。
    Wǒ mā ma bāo de zòng zi tè bié hǎo chī.
    The zongzi my mom makes are especially delicious.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

粽zòngzongzi
子zǐ

粽 names the wrapped rice dumpling and 子 gives the familiar spoken form.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
宗
宗zōng粽zòng
Same sound today

粽 is built from 米, showing a rice-related meaning, and 宗, which provides the sound.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6

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