Today’s word of the day is 笼 (lóng) which is a noun that means cage. Let’s practice by making different words, phrases, and sentences with 笼 (lóng).
鸟笼 (niǎo lóng) Bird cage
The first word is 鸟笼 (niǎo lóng) which means ‘bird cage’. Let’s look at each character of this word, 鸟 means bird, and 笼 means cage. A way of using it in a sentence is 鸟笼装满了鸟。(Niǎo lóng zhuāng mǎnle niǎo.) The bird cage was full of birds.
灯笼 (dēng lóng) Lantern
Another word we can create with 笼 (lóng) is 灯笼 (dēng lóng). This is a noun that means lantern. 灯 means light here. A way of using it in a sentence is 过年时，家家户户都挂着红灯笼。(Guònián shí, jiājiāhùhù dōu guàzhe hóng dēnglóng.) During Chinese New Year, every household hangs up red lanterns.
小笼包 (xiǎo lóng bāo) A type of small steamed bun
Finally, we can create 小笼包 (xiǎo lóng bāo) which is a type of small steamed bun. It originated from a place in China called 常州 (cháng zhōu). A way to order this at a restaurant is 来一笼小笼包。(Lái yī lóng xiǎo lóng bāo.) One serving of xiaolongbao, please.