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河水 (hé shuǐ) — river water

Definition

noun
river water

Examples

  • 河水。
    Zhè tiáo hé shuǐ hěn gān jìng.
    This river water is very clean.
  • 河水。
    Tā men yòng hé shuǐ xǐ yī fu.
    They wash clothes with river water.
  • 河水。
    Xià tiān hé shuǐ hěn lěng.
    In summer, the river water is very cold.

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.

河hériver
水shuǐwater

The river in 河 specifies the water in 水, giving river water.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
何
何hé河hé
Same sound today

河 pairs 水 (water) with 何, which gives the sound. The 水 part marks it as a word for a river.

Open 河 →

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 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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