原子核 (yuán zǐ hé) — atomic nucleus | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

atomic nucleus

Measure word · 个

原子核。
Kē xué jiā zhèng zài yán jiū yuán zǐ hé de jié gòu.
Scientists are studying the structure of the atomic nucleus.
原子核。
yuán zǐ hé Shì yuán zǐ de hé xīn bù fen.
The atomic nucleus is the core part of an atom.
原子核。
Hé néng lái zì yú yuán zǐ hé de liè biàn.
Nuclear energy comes from the fission of the atomic nucleus.

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.

原子atom

原yuánatomic子zǐnominalizing suffix

后缀Suffix

核hénucleus

原子 (atom) + 核 (nucleus): the central part of an atom.

Characters in this word

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

原 combines 泉 (spring) and 厂 (cliff), picturing a spring bursting from a cliff-side, which gives the sense of origin or source.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

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

木亥核

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

亥

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

核 pairs 木, a tree, with 亥 to give its sound; it originally named a kind of tree, and its later meanings are borrowed.