菜名 (cài míng) — name of a dish; dish name

Definition

noun
name of a dishdish name
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 菜名。
    Zhè ge cài míng tīng qǐ lái hěn yǒu yì si.
    This dish name sounds very interesting.
  • 菜名？
    Nǐ néng gào sù wǒ zhè dào cài de cài míng ma?
    Can you tell me the name of this dish?
  • 菜名。
    Cài dān shàng de cài míng wǒ dōu kàn bù dǒng.
    I can't understand any of the dish names on the menu.

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.

菜càidish
名míngname

菜 (dish) and 名 (name) combine to mean the name of a dish.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
采
采cǎi菜cài
Same sound today

菜 has 艹 (grass/plants) on top and 采 below; the top part shows it is a plant, while 采 gives the sound.

Open 菜 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

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