锅巴 (guō bā) — rice crust (the crispy, browned layer of rice that sticks to the bottom of the pot after cooking)

Definition

noun
rice crust (the crispy, browned layer of rice that sticks to the bottom of the pot after cooking)
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 锅巴。
    Wǒ xiǎo shí hou zuì xǐ huan chī guō bā le.
    When I was little, I loved eating rice crust the most.
  • 锅巴。
    Zhè guō fàn dǐ xià de guō bā hěn xiāng.
    The rice crust at the bottom of this pot is very fragrant.
  • 锅巴。
    Chāo shì lǐ mài de guō bā shì líng shí.
    The rice crust sold in supermarkets is a snack.

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.

锅guōpot
巴bācrust

锅 is the pot, and 巴 is the crust, giving rice crust stuck in a pot.

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 鍋; 锅 is its simplified writing.

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.

Open 锅 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 巴 →

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