Chinese word

铲

Pronunciation

Pinyinchǎn

Meaning

  • nounshovel

Example

工人用铲挖土。gōng rén yòng chǎn wā tǔ

The workers use a shovel to dig the soil.

Illustration for 铲 (shovel)

More examples

工人拿着一把铲把地面翻松。gōng rén ná zhe yì bǎ chǎn bǎ dì miàn fān sōng

The worker holds a shovel and loosens the ground.

Core concept

A handled blade for scraping, scooping, and moving loose earth, snow, or other material.

Common phrases

  • 一把铲yì bǎ chǎn

    a shovel

  • 铲子chǎn zi

    shovel

Similar words

铲子chǎn zi: A small everyday hand tool for scooping rubbish or a little soil.
铁铲tié chǎn: A strong metal tool for deep digging and carrying large amounts of soil or sand.
锅铲guō chǎn: A broad-bladed kitchen tool for stirring and flipping food in a pan.

Definition in Chinese

一种用于挖土、铲雪或搬运松散物料的手工具，形状可为平铲或圆头铲，按用途有不同款式。yì zhǒng yòng yú wā tǔ chǎn xuě huò bān yùn sōng sǎn wù liào de shǒu gōng jù xíng zhuàng kě wèi píng chǎn huò yuán tóu chǎn àn yòng tú yǒu bù tóng kuǎn shì

Word origin

铲 (chǎn, "shovel") is formed from 钅 (jīn, "metal") + 产 (chǎn, "produce"), with the first component marking the tool's metal association and the second chiefly indicating pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • Chinese can use the same form for the action performed with a tool, so sentence position helps distinguish this word as the implement or as the act of moving loose material.

Related words

  • 铲子chǎn zishovelnoun
  • 铲除chǎn chúclear awayverb
  • 铲车chǎn chēfront loadernoun

Word lists with this word