油路 (yóu lù) — fuel line; oil circuit (in engines or hydraulic systems)

Definition

油路 refers to the internal piping or channels that carry fuel or hydraulic oil through an engine or machine. The first character 油 specifies the fluid; 路 here means 'route' or 'pathway', not a road.

noun
fuel lineoil circuit (in engines or hydraulic systems)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 油路。
    Zhè liàng chē de yóu lù dǔ le.
    This car's fuel line is blocked.
  • 油路。
    Xiū lǐ shī fu zhèng zài jiǎn chá yóu lù.
    The repairman is checking the fuel line.
  • 油路。
    Yè yā xì tǒng de yóu lù xū yào dìng qī qīng xǐ.
    The oil circuit of a hydraulic system needs regular cleaning.

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 or fuel
路lùpath or line

油 means oil or fuel and 路 means path or line, so together they mean a line carrying oil.

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
足足zú
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè路lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Open 路 →

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