水磨 (shuǐ mó) — watermill (a mill driven by water); wet-grinding method; fine grinding done with water added

Definition

水磨 is a written/technical compound used mostly in 水磨石 ('terrazzo') and the wet-grinding technique for fine food processing. The everyday word for a water-powered mill is 水车 or 水磨坊.

noun
watermill (a mill driven by water)wet-grinding methodfine grinding done with water added
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 水磨。
    Zhè zuò gǔ lǎo de shuǐ mó yǐ jīng bú zài shǐ yòng le.
    This ancient watermill is no longer in use.
  • 。
    Yòng shuǐ mó fǎ zhì chéng de mǐ fěn kǒu gǎn fēi cháng hǎo.
    Rice noodles made by the wet-grinding method have a very good texture.
  • 水磨。
    Zhè zhǒng shuǐ mó shí dì bǎn fēi cháng nài mó.
    This kind of terrazzo floor is very wear-resistant.

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shuǐwater
磨mómill

水 (water) and 磨 (mill) name a mill driven by 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.

Open 水 →

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
石石shírock
Sound part声符shēngfú
靡
靡mí磨mó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

磨 combines 石, showing rock, with 靡 for the sound.

Open 磨 →

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