钢条 (gāng tiáo) — steel bar, steel rod

Definition

noun
steel barsteel rod
Measure word · 根

Examples

  • 钢条。
    Jiàn zhù gōng dì shàng yǒu hěn duō gāng tiáo.
    There are many steel bars at the construction site.
  • 钢条。
    Gōng rén yòng gāng tiáo jiā gù le qiáo liáng.
    Workers reinforced the bridge with steel bars.
  • 钢条。
    Zhè xiē gāng tiáo de zhì liàng fēi cháng hǎo.
    The quality of these steel bars is very good.

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.

钢gāngsteel
条tiáolong piece

钢, steel, and 条, a long piece, form a steel bar.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鋼; 钢 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
岡
岡gāng鋼gàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 鋼 shows 金, meaning metal, next to 岡, which carries the sound gāng; the simplified 钢 is a later shorthand.

Open 钢 →

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 條; 条 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu條tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 條 pairs 木, a small branch or stick, with 攸, which shows a person warned by a hand holding a stick, as a sound part; 条 is a later shortened shape.

Open 条 →

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