水厂 (shuǐ ān) — waterworks; water treatment plant | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

waterworkswater treatment plant

Measure word · 个

Examples

水厂。
Zhè ge chéng shì de shuǐ ān wèi bǎi wàn jū mín tí gōng shēng huó yòng shuǐ.
This city's waterworks provides daily water to millions of residents.
水厂。
Zhèng fǔ tóu zī xīn jiàn le yí zuò xiàn dài huà de shuǐ ān.
The government invested in building a new modern waterworks.
水厂，。
shuǐ ān De shuǐ zhì jiǎn cè fēi cháng yán gé, què bǎo ān quán.
The water quality testing at the waterworks is very strict to ensure safety.

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.

水 means water and 厂 means plant; together they name a plant for treating water.

Characters in this word

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

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 廠; 厂 is its simplified writing.

广敞廠

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

敞

敞chǎng廠chǎng

Same sound today

The traditional form 廠 combines 广 with 敞, which gives the sound; the simplified 厂 is a later shorthand.

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