铁块 (tiě kuài) — block of iron; iron ingot

Definition

noun
block of ironiron ingot
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 铁块。
    Tā bǎ nà ge tiě kuài bān dào yuàn zi lǐ.
    He moved that iron block to the yard.
  • 铁块。
    Gōng chǎng lǐ duī mǎn le tiě kuài hé gāng cái.
    The factory is piled with iron blocks and steel.
  • 铁块。
    Zhè kuài tiě kuài dà yuē yǒu shí gōng jīn zhòng.
    This iron block weighs about ten kilograms.

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.

铁tiěiron
块kuàiblock

铁 names the metal, and 块 gives a solid lump.

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.

Open 铁 →

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 塊; 块 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth; dust
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬼
鬼guǐ塊kuài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 塊 pairs 土 (earth; dust) with 鬼 as a sound part to show a clod of dirt. The simplified 块 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 块 →

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