大气压 (dà qì yā) — atmospheric pressure

Definition

noun
atmospheric pressure

Examples

  • 大气压。
    Tiān qì yù bào shuō jīn tiān dà qì yā hěn gāo.
    The weather forecast says today's atmospheric pressure is high.
  • 大气压。
    Kē xué jiā yòng yí qì cè liáng dà qì yā.
    Scientists use instruments to measure atmospheric pressure.
  • 大气压。
    Gāo yuán dì qū de dà qì yā bǐ píng yuán dī.
    Atmospheric pressure in plateau regions is lower than in plains.

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.

大气atmosphere
大dàgreat气qìair
偏正Modifier + head
压yāpressure

The 压 of the 大 气, meaning pressure of the air around us.

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

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 →

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