油箱 (yóu xiāng) — fuel tank

Definition

noun
fuel tank
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 油箱
    Qì chē de yóu xiāng kuài kōng le, wǒ dé qù jiā yóu zhàn.
    The car's fuel tank is almost empty; I need to go to a gas station.
  • 油箱
    Xīn chē de yóu xiāng bǐ jiù chē dà le hěn duō.
    The new car's fuel tank is much larger than the old one's.
  • 油箱
    Zhè liàng kǎ chē yǒu liǎng gè yóu xiāng, kě yǐ pǎo cháng tú.
    This truck has two fuel tanks, so it can run long distances.

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 means fuel and 箱 means tank, so 油箱 is a container for fuel.

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
Written in full asshuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
yóuyóu
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
𥫗Written in full aszhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
xiāngxiāng
Same sound today

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

Open 箱 →
Appears in

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