TongTong
Sign in

固化 (gù huà) — to solidify; to harden (physically); (fig.) to become fixed; to make permanent (of habits, ideas, etc.)

Definition

Used for ideas, habits, or practices becoming fixed and hard to change (often negative, as in 官僚作风固化). Shares the physical 'solidify' sense with 凝固, but 固化 is far more common in the figurative sense; 凝固 stays closer to liquids setting.

verb
to solidifyto harden (physically)(fig.) to become fixedto make permanent (of habits, ideas, etc.)

Examples

  • 固化。
    Zhè zhǒng cái liào zài gāo wēn xià huì gù huà.
    This material will solidify under high temperature.
  • 固化。
    Jiù guān niàn yí dàn gù huà jiù hěn nán gǎi biàn.
    Once old ideas become fixed, they are hard to change.
  • 固化。
    Wǒ men xū yào fáng zhǐ guān liáo zuò fēng gù huà.
    We need to prevent bureaucratic practices from becoming entrenched.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

固gùsolid/firm
化huàbecome

固 means solid or firm, and 化 adds the sense of becoming or causing to be, together meaning to harden or become fixed.

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
囗囗wéi
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ固gù
Same sound today

固 combines 囗, which relates to the meaning, with 古, which gives the sound.

Open 固 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.