菜市场 (cài shì chǎng) — grocery market, food market (typically selling fresh produce, meat, and other daily groceries)

Definition

noun
grocery marketfood market (typically selling fresh produce, meat, and other daily groceries)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 菜市场。
    Wǒ měi tiān zǎo shàng qù cài shì chǎng mǎi cài.
    I go to the grocery market to buy food every morning.
  • 菜市场。
    Zhè ge cài shì chǎng de shū cài hěn xīn xiān.
    The vegetables at this market are very fresh.
  • 菜市场，。
    cài shì chǎng Lǐ rén hěn duō, hěn rè nao.
    The market is crowded and lively.

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càivegetables
市场market
市shìmarket场chǎngplace/market
联合Side by side

菜 gives vegetables, while 市 and 场 together mean market, giving a vegetable market.

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 →

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
兮兮xībustling
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī市shì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The old form 市 pairs 兮, meaning bustling, with 之, the sound part.

Open 市 →

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.