TongTong
Sign in

低碳 (dī tàn) — low-carbon (attributive, environmental); low-carb (attributive, dietary)

Definition

Usually 'low-carbon' in environmental contexts (energy, lifestyle, emissions). The 'low-carb' sense is about reducing carbohydrates in food, often for dieting.

adjective
low-carbon (attributive, environmental)low-carb (attributive, dietary)

Examples

  • 低碳。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi tuī guǎng dī tàn shēng huó fāng shì.
    We should promote a low-carbon lifestyle.
  • 低碳。
    Xiàn zài hěn duō rén xuǎn zé dī tàn yǐn shí lái jiǎn féi.
    Many people now choose a low-carb diet to lose weight.
  • 低碳。
    Zhè ge chéng shì zhèng zài jiàn shè dī tàn shè qū.
    This city is building a low-carbon community.

Origin

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.

低dīlow
碳tàncarbon

低 modifies 碳, giving the idea of low carbon.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénman, person
Sound part声符shēngfú
氐
氐dī低dī
Same sound today

In 低, the left side 亻 is a person, and the right side 氐 gives the sound; the image is a person lowering or bowing themselves.

Open 低 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 石石shí{{qualifier|chemical nomenclature}} non-metal solid
  • 炭炭tàncharcoal

碳 pairs 石, marking a non-metal solid, with 炭 (charcoal), which gives the pronunciation.

Open 碳 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Environment & Ecology

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.