缎 (duàn) · satin (a type of smooth, lustrous fabric)

Measure Word

一匹缎 pǐ

Meanings

1 satin (a type of smooth, lustrous fabric)

Characters

缎

duàn

satin; a type of lustrous woven silk

Examples

HSK 7-9

她的婚纱用上等的缎制成，光滑华丽。

Tā de hūnshā yòng shàngděng de duàn zhìchéng, guānghuá huálì.

Her wedding dress was made from high-quality satin - smooth and magnificent.

HSK 7-9

这件旗袍采用了红色缎面料。

Zhè jiàn qípáo cǎiyòng le hóngsè duàn miànliào.

This qipao is made from red satin fabric.

Tips

memory

The character 缎 has the silk radical 纟 on the left - a clue that it refers to a type of silk or silk-like woven fabric.

Components

radical

纟 sī

silk (radical form of 糸)

Left-side silk radical, the simplified three-stroke form of 糸 (a twist of silken threads). The indexing radical - 缎 is satin, a tightly woven lustrous silk. Same fabric/thread family: 绸 silk fabric, 绒 velvet, 绣 embroidery, 绳 rope, 织 to weave. Recognising 纟 immediately flags any character as textile-related.

phonetic

段 duàn

section; stretch

Right side 段 supplies the sound exactly: duàn to duàn, identical pinyin and tone. 段 originally pictured a hand wielding a hammer on stone - to forge, cut into pieces - surviving in 'segment / paragraph.' The 'measured length' nuance carries into 缎: bolts of satin cut into trade-sized sections. Same phonetic: 锻 to forge, 椴 linden.