铁器 (tiě qì) — ironware; iron tools and utensils

Definition

noun

ironwareiron tools and utensils

Measure word · 件

铁器。
Bó wù guǎn lǐ chén liè zhe hěn duō gǔ dài tiě qì.
The museum displays many ancient ironware pieces.
铁器。
tiě qì De chū xiàn dà dà tí gāo le nóng yè shēng chǎn xiào lǜ.
The emergence of iron tools greatly improved agricultural productivity.
铁器。
Zhè zhǒng tiě qì zhì pǐn fēi cháng nài yòng.
This kind of ironware product is very durable.

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.

铁 means iron and 器 means tools or utensils, together ironware.

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 鐵; 铁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢧤

𢧤𢧤鐵tiě

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

The traditional form 鐵 pairs 金 (metal) with 𢧤 as a sound part; the simplified 铁 is a later shorthand.

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.