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有效率 (yǒu xiào lǜ) — efficiency

Definition

noun
efficiency

Examples

  • 有效率。
    Zhè jiā gōng chǎng de yǒu xiào lǜ hěn gāo.
    This factory's efficiency is very high.
  • 有效率。
    Tí gāo yǒu xiào lǜ shì qǐ yè de mù biāo zhī yī.
    Improving efficiency is one of the company's goals.
  • 有效率。
    Wǒ men xū yào píng gū zhè ge fāng àn de yǒu xiào lǜ.
    We need to evaluate the efficiency of this plan.

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.

有效having effect
有yǒuhave效xiàoeffect
动宾Verb + object
率lǜrate

有效 means having effect, and 率 means rate; together they express efficiency.

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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
攵Written in full as攴pūto strike; action
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo效xiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

效 pairs 攵 (written in full as 攴), meaning “to strike; action,” with 交, which gives the sound.

Open 效 →

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

率 was drawn as a bird-catching net, with a stick above and below. In the form described, the lower horizontal stroke is missing, so the whole shape represents a rope.

Open 率 →
Appears in
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