排污 (pái wū) — to discharge waste, eliminate pollutants

Definition

Verb meaning 'discharge waste/pollutants', used for factories, plants, or systems releasing wastewater or exhaust. Pairs with 污 or follows 排 as a verb–object compound (排一次污).

verb
to discharge wasteeliminate pollutants

Examples

  • 排污。
    Zhè jiā gōng chǎng měi tiān dōu yào pái wū.
    This factory discharges waste every day.
  • 。
    Tā men pái le yí cì wū.
    They discharged waste once.
  • 。
    Gōng chǎng pái wán wū hòu cái xià bān.
    The factory only leaves work after finishing waste discharge.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

排páidischarge
污wūwaste

“排” means discharge and “污” means waste; together it means to discharge waste.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
非
非fēi排pái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

排 uses 扌 (hand) to show arranging something with the hand, and 非 for the sound; this gives the sense of placing things in a line.

Open 排 →

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 汙; 污 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
于
于yú汙wū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 汙 pairs 水 (water) with 于 for the sound; the simplified 污 is a later shorthand.

Open 污 →

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