草纸 (cǎo zhǐ) — rough straw paper (made from plant fibers); toi… | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Rough, coarse paper traditionally made from plant fibers like rice straw — used in the past as toilet paper or for wrapping, not for writing. Low-quality and rustic, not equivalent to modern toilet paper (卫生纸).

noun

rough straw paper (made from plant fibers)toilet paper (rough, low-quality type)

Measure word · 张

Examples

草纸，。
Zhè zhǒng cǎo zhǐ hěn cū cāo, bú shì hé xiě zì.
This kind of rough straw paper is very coarse and not suitable for writing.
草纸。
Yǐ qián nóng cūn de rén cháng yòng cǎo zhǐ dāng wèi shēng zhǐ.
In the past, people in rural areas often used rough straw paper as toilet paper.
草纸，。
Zhè zhǒng cǎo zhǐ shì yòng dào cǎo zuò de, yǒu yì gǔ cǎo wèi.
This rough straw paper is made from rice straw and has a grassy smell.

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.

The 纸 made from 草 fibers is rough paper.

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.

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.

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 紙; 纸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìsilk

Sound part声符shēngfú

氏

氏shì紙zhǐ

Same sound today

For 纸, the traditional form 紙 combines 糸 (silk) with 氏 (the sound part).

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