HanziGuru.燉 · dùn
燉
dùn[dun4]Tone 4

to stew

HSK 7
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炖
Guru Deep Dive

English · to stew

Cached lesson
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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:12
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (火 fire) is compressed slightly to make room for the complex right side (屯), maintaining overall square symmetry.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 燉 retains the complex right-side phonetic element, while the simplified form 炖 uses the standard 3-dot water radical 火 on the left, though in practice it uses the 4-dot fire radical 火 (or its compressed form 火 written as 灬). Note that 炖 uses 火 (fire radical).
1. Meaning

to stew, to simmer slowly over a low fire

to warm up food in a container of boiling water (double-boiling)figuratively: to endure patiently under harsh pressure
VerbNeutral#cooking#food preparation#culinary techniques
Sample Usage
  • 妈妈正在厨房炖鸡汤。
    mā ma zhèng zài chú fáng dùn jī tāng.
    Mom is stewing chicken soup in the kitchen.
  • 牛肉需要炖两个小时才能烂。
    niú ròu xū yào dùn liǎng gè xiǎo shí cái néng làn.
    Beef needs to be stewed for two hours until tender.
2. Sound
/[tu̯ən⁵¹]/Tone: 51
燉
dùndun4
++
`(51)
=dùn
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
dun
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "u" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
d
Type: Unaspirated Alveolar
Sounds like: d sound in English 'dog'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No puff of air. Tissue remains still (sounds like English 't' in 'stop').
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth, releasing cleanly without a puff of air.
Final Rhyme
un
Vowel Group: -u vowel group
Sounds like: -oon as in 'poon' or un in 'un-do'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'wuhn'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: un is officially an abbreviation for uen, but sounds like 'oon' or 'wun'.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops abruptly, similar to expressing sudden realization or a definitive 'No!' in English.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing it with Tone 1 (dūn) or Tone 3 (dǔn). Make sure the pitch starts high and drops immediately without dipping.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp karate chop down from top to bottom, matching the drop of Tone 4.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (火 fire) is compressed slightly to make room for the complex right side (屯), maintaining overall square symmetry.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 燉 retains the complex right-side phonetic element, while the simplified form 炖 uses the standard 3-dot water radical 火 on the left, though in practice it uses the 4-dot fire radical 火 (or its compressed form 火 written as 灬). Note that 炖 uses 火 (fire radical).

4. Components

Radical 火 · Fire Radical (fire, heat, cooking)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 火 (Indicates that the action involves heat, fire, or cooking.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 屯 (original sound: tún / dùn)

Fire (火) provides the steady heat needed to cook what is gathered or stored in a camp (屯).

  • 火 fire/heat
  • 屯 phonetic clue providing the sound 'dun'
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the fire radical (火) for cooking heat and the phonetic component 屯 (tún), representing things accumulating or simmering slowly over heat.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to slow cooking over low fire; expanded to modern culinary terms for stews, braises, and double-boiled soups.

  • Slow stewing (炖) became widespread with the perfection of cast iron and earthenware cooking vessels in ancient China.
6. Sinosphere
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine putting a pot of food over a roaring FIRE (火) and letting it STW (炖) all day long until it is completely TENDER.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
敦
dūnkindheartedPhonetic Core (声旁)
墩
dūnblock; gate pillar+ 土 (earth)
憝
duìdislike; hate+ 心 (heart)
暾
tūnsun above the horizon+ 日 (sun)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
钝(dùn)
钝 has the metal radical (钅) because a dull blade is made of metal, whereas 炖 has fire (火) because stewing requires heat.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
冬天吃一碗熱騰騰的牛肉[___]最舒服了。
Clue: dùn
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the left radical with water (氵) because stewing involves liquid. Remember that stewing requires heat, hence the fire radical (火)!

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 炖, what cooking method does it represent?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to stew' (dùn) using fire and its phonetic partner?
Real-World Video Context

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

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