排除法 (pái chú fǎ) — process of elimination (in reasoning, testing, or detective work)

Definition

noun
process of elimination (in reasoning, testing, or detective work)

Examples

  • 排除法。
    Wǒ men kě yǐ yòng pái chú fǎ lái zhǎo dào dá àn.
    We can use the process of elimination to find the answer.
  • 排除法。
    Zhè dào xuǎn zé tí yòng pái chú fǎ jiù néng zuò duì.
    For this multiple-choice question, you can get it right using elimination.
  • 排除法。
    Zhēn tàn yòng pái chú fǎ pái chú le jǐ gè xián yí rén.
    The detective used elimination to rule out several suspects.

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.

排除eliminate
排páieliminate除chúremove
联合Side by side
法fǎmethod

排 and 除 both mean eliminate, and 法 means method, giving a method of elimination.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú除chú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

除 is built from 阜 and 余, with 余 giving the sound.

Open 除 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
廌廌zhìa type of antelope or caprid
Sound part声符shēngfú
盍
盍hé法fǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

法's older form combined 氵 (water) and 廌 (a type of antelope or caprid), with 盍 as a sound part; later 廌 was dropped.

Open 法 →

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