油迹 (yóu jī) — oil stains; grease spots

Definition

noun
oil stainsgrease spots
Measure word · 块
Easily confused

Examples

  • 油迹。
    Zhè jiàn chèn shān shàng de yóu jī hěn nán xǐ diào.
    The oil stains on this shirt are hard to wash off.
  • 油迹，。
    Chú fáng tái miàn shàng yǒu yóu jī, xū yào yòng qīng jié jì cā.
    There are grease spots on the kitchen counter; you need to wipe them with a cleaner.
  • 油迹。
    Tā xiǎo xīn dì cā diào le chē shēn shàng de yóu jī.
    He carefully wiped off the oil stains on the car body.

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
迹jìtrace

油 gives oil, and 迹 gives a trace, so the word names a mark left by 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
辶Written in full as辵chuòmove
Sound part声符shēngfú
朿
朿cì迹jì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

迹 pairs 辶, a movement part, with 亦, a sound part; an older form used 朿.

Open 迹 →

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