香烟盒 (xiāng yān hé) — cigarette case; cigarette pack

Definition

noun

cigarette casecigarette pack

Measure word · 个

香烟盒。
Tā cóng kǒu dài lǐ tāo chū yì zhī xiāng yān hé.
He took out a cigarette case from his pocket.
香烟盒，。
Nà ge xiāng yān hé shì chún yín zuò de, hěn jīng zhì.
That cigarette case is made of pure silver, very exquisite.
香烟盒。
Tā de xiāng yān hé lǐ zhī shèng zuì hòu yì zhī yān le.
There's only one cigarette left in his case.

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.

香烟cigarette

偏正Modifier + head

香烟 points to a cigarette, 盒 to a container, giving a case or pack for cigarettes.

Characters in this word

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

香's early form paired 黍 (glutinous millet) with 口 (mouth), perhaps showing millet drink being taken in or offered.

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 煙; 烟 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 烟 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (烟) it is 煙; in others it is 菸.

火垔煙

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

垔

垔yīn煙yān

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

This story is about the traditional form 煙, not the simplified 烟. It pairs 火, fire, with 垔, which gives the sound.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.