乙炔 (yǐ quē) — acetylene (C₂H₂), ethyne

Definition

noun

acetylene (C₂H₂)ethyne

乙炔。
Gōng rén yòng yǐ quē hàn jiē jīn shǔ.
Workers use acetylene to weld metal.
乙炔。
Shí yàn shì lǐ cún zhe jǐ píng yǐ quē.
Several bottles of acetylene are stored in the lab.
乙炔。
yǐ quē Rán shāo shí huì fā chū qiáng guāng.
Acetylene gives off a bright light when it burns.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

炔quēalkyne

乙 gives the two-carbon count and 炔 gives the alkyne type, together naming acetylene.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The origin of 乙 is obscure, with old suggestions including a plant trying to sprout, a fish's intestine or gill bone, or flowing water.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

火夬炔

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

夬

夬guài炔quē

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

炔 uses 火 (fire) and 夬, which gives the sound and also a sense of lack; it was made for alkynes because they burn and lack two hydrogens.