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加压 (jiā yā) — (separable verb) to pressurize; to increase pressure (literal or figurative)

Definition

A separable verb meaning 'to pressurize / apply pressure', used both literally (pipes, systems) and figuratively (people). Splits as 加…压 (e.g. 加了一次压).

verb
(separable verb) to pressurizeto increase pressure (literal or figurative)

Examples

  • 加压。
    Wǒ men xū yào duì xì tǒng jiā yā.
    We need to pressurize the system.
  • 。
    Gōng chéng shī duì guǎn dào jiā le yí cì yā.
    The engineer applied pressure to the pipe once.
  • 加压，。
    Gōng sī gěi yuán gōng jiā yā, ràng dà jiā gèng nǔ lì.
    The company puts pressure on employees to make everyone work harder.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

加jiāadd
压yāpressure

加 means add and 压 means pressure; together they mean add pressure.

Characters in this word

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

加 pairs 力 and 口. In one explanation 力 is strength and 口 is the mouth, meaning exaggeration; in another 力 is plowing effort and 口 is breath or exclamation, meaning extra effort.

Open 加 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 壓; 压 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔdust
Sound part声符shēngfú
厭
厭yàn壓yā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 壓 is built from 土, dust, and 厭, which gives the sound; 压 is the simplified form of 壓.

Open 压 →
Appears in
Physics & Chemistry

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