蒸锅 (zhēng guō) — steamer; pot for steaming food

Definition

noun

steamerpot for steaming food

Measure word · 个

蒸锅。
Wǒ yòng zhēng guō zhēng le yì lóng bāo zi.
I steamed a basket of buns using the steamer.
蒸锅，。
Zhè ge zhēng guō tài dà le, fàng bú jìn bīng xiāng.
This steamer is too big to fit in the fridge.
蒸锅，。
zhēng guō Lǐ de shuǐ kāi le, kě yǐ fàng shí wù le.
The water in the steamer is boiling; you can put the food in now.

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.

蒸 gives steaming and 锅 gives pot; together they name a pot used for steaming food.

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

艸艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

烝

烝zhēng蒸zhēng

Same sound today

蒸 pairs 艸 (grass) with 烝, which 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 鍋; 锅 is its simplified writing.

金咼鍋

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

咼

咼wāi鍋guō

Same sound today

In the traditional form 鍋, 金 marks metal and 咼 provides the sound; the simplified 锅 is a later shorthand.