菜汤 (cài shāng) — vegetable soup | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

vegetable soup

Measure word · 碗

菜汤。
Zhè wǎn cài shāng wèi dào hěn qīng dàn.
This bowl of vegetable soup tastes very light.
菜汤。
Mā ma zhǔ de cài shāng yíng yǎng fēng fù.
The vegetable soup my mom makes is very nutritious.
菜汤。
Dōng tiān hē yì wǎn rè cài shāng hěn shū fu.
Drinking a bowl of hot vegetable soup in winter is very comforting.

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

菜 gives vegetables and 汤 gives soup, yielding vegetable soup.

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.

艹采菜

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

采

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.

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 湯; 汤 is its simplified writing.

氵昜湯

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

昜

昜yáng湯tāng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 汤, the shape explained is 湯: 氵 is water, and 昜 gives the sound.