黄瓜 (huáng guā) — cucumber

Definition

noun
cucumber
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 黄瓜，。
    Zuó tiān wǒ mǎi le jǐ tiáo huáng guā, zhǔn bèi zuò liáng cài.
    Yesterday I bought a few cucumbers, planning to make a cold dish.
  • 黄瓜，。
    huáng guā Kě yǐ shēng chī, yě kě yǐ chǎo zhe chī.
    Cucumbers can be eaten raw, or stir-fried.
  • 黄瓜。
    Xià tiān de huáng guā zuì xīn xiān zuì hǎo chī.
    Summer cucumbers are the freshest and tastiest.

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.

黄huángyellow (historical name)
瓜guāmelon

黄瓜 uses the old name 黄 with 瓜 to refer to the cucumber, not to describe its color.

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 黃; 黄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
炗
炗guāng黃huáng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 黃 pairs 田 (field) with 炗 (light), which gives the sound; the simplified 黄 is a shorthand and its parts are not historical components.

Open 黄 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 瓜 is drawn from a melon hanging from its vines, which matches its meaning.

Open 瓜 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Vegetables

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