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摄氏度 (Shè shì dù) — degrees Celsius (°C)

Definition

classifier
degrees Celsius (°C)

Examples

  • 摄氏度。
    Jīn tiān wēn dù shì sān shí Shè shì dù.
    Today's temperature is 30°C.
  • 摄氏度？
    Shuǐ de wēn dù dào le yì bǎi Shè shì dù ma?
    Has the water reached 100°C?
  • 摄氏度。
    Fáng jiān de wēn dù shì èr shí wǔ Shè shì dù.
    The room temperature is 25°C.

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.

摄氏Celsius
摄shè氏shì
音译Transliteration
度dùdegree

摄氏 spells the foreign name Celsius, and 度 means “degree”.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 攝; 摄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
聶
聶niè攝shè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 攝 combines 扌 (hand) with 聶 as a sound part; the simplified 摄 is a later shorthand.

Open 摄 →

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

The shape of 氏 is debated: one reading shows a stick with a mark on top for a clan, while others show a person bending or a tree root.

Open 氏 →

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
又又yòuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
石
石shí度dù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

度 has 又 (hand) and a changed form of 石; 石 gives a related sound, and the hand is tied to using the hand as a reference for measurement.

Open 度 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 6Units & Measurement

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