罐头盒 (guàn tóu hé) — tin can, can | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

tin cancan

Measure word · 个

Examples

罐头盒。
Tā bǎ guàn tóu hé fàng zài zhuō zi shàng le.
He put the tin can on the table.
罐头盒。
Zhè ge guàn tóu hé lǐ miàn zhuāng zhe dòu zi.
This can contains beans inside.
罐头盒。
Qǐng bǎ guàn tóu hé rēng jìn huí shōu xiāng.
Please throw the can into the recycling bin.

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.

罐头can

罐guàncan头tóusuffix

后缀Suffix

罐头 names a can, and 盒 names a box, giving a tin can.

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.

缶雚罐

Meaning part形符xíngfú

缶缶fǒupottery

Sound part声符shēngfú

雚

雚guàn罐guàn(r)

Same sound today

The left part 缶 shows pottery, while the right part 雚 gives the pronunciation.

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

豆頁頭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

豆dòu頭tóu

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

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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