HanziGuru.湯 · tāng
湯
tāng[tang1]Tone 1

soup

HSK 3
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汤
Multiple Readings (多音字):
Guru Deep Dive

English · soup

Cached lesson
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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:6
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (氵) takes up about one-third of the width, while the right component (昜) occupies the remaining two-thirds, keeping both sides visually balanced without crowding.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 湯 and simplified form 汤 share the exact same left water radical (氵) and right phonetic component (昜, simplified from 昜 where the bottom changed slightly).
1. Meaning

soup

hot or boiling waterdecoction of medicinal herbssurname Tang
NounNeutral#food and drink#liquids#surnames
Sample Usage
  • 我喜欢喝番茄鸡蛋汤。
    Wǒ xǐhuan hē fānqié jīdàn tāng.
    I like to drink tomato and egg soup.
  • 小心，汤很烫！
    Xiǎoxīn, tāng hěn tàng!
    Be careful, the soup is very hot!
2. Sound
/[tʰɑŋ˥˥]/Tone: 55
湯
tāngtang1
++
¯(55)
=tāng
Initial Consonant
t
Type: Aspirated Alveolar
Sounds like: t sound
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Explosive puff of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST flutter.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge firmly, then releases with a strong puff of air
Final Rhyme
ang
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -ang rhymes with song
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays flat and high at the top of your vocal range, matching a steady musical drone.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the neutral/unaccented ending with an English 'ng' sound that closes the back of the throat too tightly; keep the oral cavity wide open while letting air flow through the nose.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is a high, flat musical note, just like holding a single high pitch on a piano without letting your voice waver or drop.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 6 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (氵) takes up about one-third of the width, while the right component (昜) occupies the remaining two-thirds, keeping both sides visually balanced without crowding.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 湯 and simplified form 汤 share the exact same left water radical (氵) and right phonetic component (昜, simplified from 昜 where the bottom changed slightly).

4. Components

Radical 氵 · Water Radical (water or liquids)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 氵 (Indicates that soup is a liquid substance involving water.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 昜 (original sound: tāng / yáng)

Water (氵) plus the rising sun/brightness (昜) creates a picture of steaming, hot liquid water bubbling in the sun.

  • 氵 water semantic indicator
  • 昜 phonetic and conceptual clue for heat and radiance
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally created as a phono-semantic compound where water (氵) provides the meaning of liquid and 昜 provides the sound while hinting at rising steam or boiling heat.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred primarily to boiling water or hot water, it gradually shifted in modern Chinese to mean soup, while retaining its older sense in specific herbal medicine and classical contexts.

  • In ancient texts, 'tāng' often referred to scalding hot water used for bathing or torture before taking on the primary culinary meaning of soup.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: トウ (tō) / Kun: ゆ (yu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
탕
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine boiling WATER (氵) shimmering under the bright SUN (昜) until it turns into a piping hot bowl of SOUP (汤) sending steam into the air.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
场
chǎngfield / placeReplaces water radical with earth (土) for ground or field.
扬
yángto raise / hoistReplaces water radical with hand (扌) for physical action.
畅
chàngsmooth / fluentReplaces water radical with heart/mind (忄) for smooth flow of feelings.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
烫(tàng)
烫 adds a fire radical (火) at the bottom, meaning scalding hot or to iron, whereas 汤 has water (氵) and means soup.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我今天中午喝了一碗雞肉[___]。
Clue: tāng
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 汤 (tāng - soup) with 烫 (tàng - hot/scald), forgetting that soup uses the water radical (氵) on the left.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the character 汤 with a water radical and phonetic right side, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the Chinese character for 'soup' (tāng), and what radical does it use?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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