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化石 (huà shí) — fossil

Definition

noun
fossil
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 化石。
    Kē xué jiā fā xiàn le zhè kuài huà shí.
    Scientists discovered this fossil.
  • 化石。
    Bó wù guǎn lǐ yǒu hěn duō kǒng lóng huà shí.
    There are many dinosaur fossils in the museum.
  • 化石。
    Zhè xiē huà shí bǎo cún dé fēi cháng wán zhěng.
    These fossils are very well preserved.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

化huàchange
石shístone

A 化石 is what has 化 into 石; change into stone gives the fossil meaning.

Characters in this word

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

化 shows two person figures, one upright and one upside down, to give the idea of reversal or change.

Open 化 →

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

The shape of 石 shows a stone under a cliff-like overhang, or a cave set into a cliff side.

Open 石 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Biology

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