毯 (tǎn): blanket

Measure Word

一条毯 tiáo

Meanings

1 blanket
2 rug
3 carpet

Characters

毯

tǎn

blanket; rug

Examples

冬天睡觉要盖毯。

Dōngtiān shuìjiào yào gài tǎn.

You need to cover yourself with a blanket in winter.

地上铺了一块厚毯。

Dìshàng pū le yīkuài hòu tǎn.

A thick rug was laid on the floor.

Tips

usage

毯 is often used in compounds: 毛毯 (wool blanket), 地毯 (carpet), 毯子 (blanket). Rarely used alone in modern Chinese.

Components

radical

毛 máo

hair; fur; wool

Wrapping radical 毛 — pictograph of a single hair or feather. It marks 毯 as a wool product; carpets and blankets are woven from animal hair in the inner-Asian tradition that gave Chinese this word. Same family: 毛 wool, 毡 felt, 毫 fine hair, 毫毛 the smallest detail.

phonetic

炎 yán

flame; inflammation (here phonetic)

Inner 炎 supplies the sound — yán drifting to tǎn through historical sound change. 炎 stacks two 火 fires, hence "blaze, inflammation." The fire imagery also faintly fits: a blanket gives the warmth of fire without the flame. Same phonetic appears in 谈 to chat, 痰 phlegm, 啖 to eat.