水样 (shuǐ yàng) — water sample; watery specimen (e.g., in medical context)

Definition

Medical/lab term for a small water specimen taken for testing — 'water sample'. More technical than just calling it 水.

noun
water samplewatery specimen (e.g., in medical context)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 水样。
    Tā men cóng hé lǐ qǔ le yì xiē shuǐ yàng.
    They took some water samples from the river.
  • 水样。
    Shí yàn shì zhèng zài fēn xī zhè xiē shuǐ yàng.
    The lab is analyzing these water samples.
  • 水样pH。
    Zhè ge shuǐ yàng de pH zhí hěn gāo.
    The pH value of this water sample is high.

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.

样yàngsample

The 水 part names water, and 样 marks the specimen being described.

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.

Open 水 →

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 樣; 样 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
羕
羕yàng樣yàng
Same sound today

For 样, the traditional form 樣 pairs 木 (wood) with 羕 as a sound part.

Open 样 →

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