油船 (yóu chuán) — oil tanker | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

oil tanker

Measure word · 艘

Easily confused

游船yóu chuánsound-alikepleasure boat; cruise ship (a boat used for leisure cruises or sightseeing on rivers, lakes, or coastal waters)
邮船yóu chuánsound-alikeocean liner, mail steamer (a large ship that carries mail and passengers on regular transoceanic routes)

Examples

油船。
Nà tiáo yóu chuán zhèng zài gǎng kǒu zhuāng yóu.
That oil tanker is loading oil at the port.
油船。
Zhè tiáo yóu chuán kě yǐ zhuāng wǔ wàn dūn shí yóu.
This oil tanker can carry 50,000 tons of crude oil.
油船。
yóu chuán Zài hǎi shàng yù dào le dà fēng làng.
The oil tanker encountered heavy winds and waves at sea.

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 is oil and 船 is a ship, so the word names an oil tanker.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

舟舟zhōuboat

Sound part声符shēngfú

㕣

㕣㕣船

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

船 pairs 舟 (boat) with 㕣 for its sound.

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