棺材 (guāncai) — coffin

Characters in this word

Strokes: 12
Radical: 木 — tree
Made of: 木 tree 官 official, public servant
How it's built: Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound

Strokes: 7
Radical: 木 — tree
Made of: 木 tree 才 ability, talent, gift
How it's built: Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound

老匠人坚持用整块木料做棺材，因为他认为葬礼也需要尊严。 Lǎo jiàngrén jiānchí yòng zhěng kuài mùliào zuò guāncai, yīnwèi tā rènwéi zànglǐ yě xūyào zūnyán. The old craftsman insisted on using a whole piece of timber to make the coffin because he believed funerals also required dignity.
老木匠一辈子做过很多家具，也做过棺材。 Lǎo mùjiàng yíbèizi zuò guo hěn duō jiājù, yě zuò guo guāncai. The old carpenter made a great deal of furniture in his life, and coffins too.
俗话说，不见棺材不落泪，意思是不到最后不死心。 Súhuà shuō, bú jiàn guāncai bú luò lèi, yìsi shì bú dào zuìhòu bù sǐxīn. As the saying goes, he won't shed a tear until he sees the coffin, meaning he won't give up until the very end.