油泥 (yóu ní) — greasy filth, grime (e.g. from cooking or machinery)

Definition

油泥 (yóu ní) is greasy, oily grime — the sticky residue that builds up from cooking grease or machinery. It's a concrete, physical substance (not figurative dirt), and the word can be split in some expressions like 沾了一手油泥.

noun
greasy filthgrime (e.g. from cooking or machinery)

Examples

  • 油泥。
    Chú fáng de chōu yóu yān jī shàng jī le yī céng yóu ní.
    A layer of greasy filth has built up on the kitchen range hood.
  • ，油泥。
    Xiū wán chē hòu, tā shǒu shàng quán shì yóu ní.
    After fixing the car, his hands were covered in grease.
  • 油泥。
    Zhè zhǒng qīng jié jì néng yǒu xiào qù chú yóu ní.
    This kind of cleaner can effectively remove greasy grime.

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.

油yóuoil
泥nímud

油 gives the greasy quality and 泥 gives the muddy, clinging substance.

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
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.

Open 油 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
尼
尼ní泥nì
Same sound today

The left side is 氵, the water part; the right side is 尼, which gives the sound.

Open 泥 →

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