沙箱 (shā xiāng) — sandbox (box of sand for children to play in); sandbox (computing: isolated testing environment)

Definition

沙箱 is the Chinese term for a 'sandbox' — in computing it is an isolated environment for safely testing code. In the literal sense, it means a children's play box filled with sand.

noun
sandbox (box of sand for children to play in)sandbox (computing: isolated testing environment)

Examples

  • 沙箱。
    Hái zi men zài shā xiāng lǐ wán shā zi.
    The children are playing with sand in the sandbox.
  • 沙箱。
    Zhè ge ruǎn jiàn kě yǐ zài shā xiāng lǐ ān quán cè shì.
    This software can be safely tested in the sandbox.
  • 沙箱。
    Gōng yuán lǐ yǒu yí gè hěn dà de shā xiāng.
    There is a very big sandbox in the park.

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.

沙shāsand
箱xiāngbox

沙 means sand and 箱 means box, so together they mean a box filled with sand.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

沙 puts 少 (dots) beside 水 (water), showing sand on a shoreline.

Open 沙 →

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
𥫗Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
相
相xiāng箱xiāng
Same sound today

箱 combines 竹, showing bamboo, with 相 as a sound part, to write a bamboo box or case.

Open 箱 →

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