干爽 (gān shuǎng) — dry and crisp (of weather); dry (of soil, roads, or surfaces)

Definition

Adjective meaning 'dry and crisp/refreshed' — usually used for weather, surfaces, or fabric after drying. Pairs naturally with 天气, 路面, and 衣服; not interchangeable with plain 干, which only means 'dry'.

adjective
dry and crisp (of weather)dry (of soil, roads, or surfaces)

Examples

  • ，干爽。
    Qiū tiān de shí hou, tiān qì fēi cháng gān shuǎng.
    In autumn, the weather is very dry and crisp.
  • ，干爽。
    Zhè tiáo lù xiū hǎo le, lù miàn hěn gān shuǎng.
    This road has been repaired, and the surface is dry.
  • ，干爽。
    Bǎ yī fu shài zài tài yáng xià, hěn kuài jiù gān shuǎng le.
    Hang the clothes in the sun, and they'll quickly become dry and crisp.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

干gāndry
爽shuǎngrefreshing

干 means dry and 爽 means refreshing or crisp, giving a dry and crisp feeling.

Characters in this word

The simplified 干 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (饼干, 干杯) it is 乾; in others (干, 干活儿) (干扰) it is 幹 or 干.

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 乾; 干 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
乙乙yǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
倝
倝gàn乾gān
Same sound today
Open 干 →

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

爽 is written by combining 大 and 㸚 to mean bright.

Open 爽 →

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