Today’s word of the day is 铁 (tiě), a noun that means iron. Let’s practice making different words, phrases, and sentences with 铁 (tiě).
铁路 (tiě lù) Railroad
The first word is 铁路 (tiě lù) which means ‘railroad’. Let’s look at each character of this word, 铁 means iron, and 路 means road. A way of using it in a sentence is 我们坐铁路去旅行。 (Wǒmen zuò tiělù qù lǚxíng.) We are traveling by railroad.
铁锅 (tiě guō) Iron pot
Another word we can create with 铁 (tiě) is 铁锅 (tiě guō). This is a noun that means iron pot. Let’s again look at each character of this word, 铁 means iron, and 锅 means pot. A way of using it in a sentence is 妈妈用铁锅煮汤很香。 (Māma yòng tiě guō zhǔ tāng hěn xiāng.) The soup cooked in an iron pot by my mother is very fragrant.
铁饭碗 (tiě fàn wǎn) Secure job
Finally, we can create the phrase 铁饭碗 (tiě fàn wǎn) which means a secure job. It literally means an ‘iron rice bowl’ in Chinese. A way of using it in a sentence is 在中国，很多人渴望能够拥有一份铁饭碗。 (Zài Zhōngguó, hěn duō rén kěwàng nénggòu yǒngyǒu yī fèn tiě fàn wǎn.) In China, many people aspire to have a secure job.