汽油桶 (qì yóu tǒng) — gasoline can | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

gasoline can

Measure word · 个

Examples

汽油桶。
Wǒ mǎi le yí gè xīn de qì yóu tǒng.
I bought a new gasoline can.
汽油桶。
Zhè ge qì yóu tǒng néng zhuāng èr shí shēng qì yóu.
This gasoline can holds twenty liters of gasoline.
汽油桶。
Qǐng bǎ qì yóu tǒng fàng zài ān quán de dì fāng.
Please put the gasoline can in a safe place.

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.

汽油gasoline

汽qìsteam油yóuoil

偏正Modifier + head

汽油桶 names a can for gasoline by combining gasoline and can.

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.

氵气汽

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

Same sound today

The 氵 part is water, and 气 is used for the sound and also means air, so 汽 shows water in an air-like form.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

氵由油

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

由

由yóu油yóu

Same sound today

油 is built from 氵, a water part, and 由, which supplies the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木甬桶

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

甬

甬yǒng桶tǒng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 木 shows wood, and the right part 甬 gives the sound.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.