波纹 (bō wén) — ripple (on water); corrugation (on a surface) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A noun for the wave-shaped pattern itself — the small ridges on water or metal, not the motion. Compare 波浪 (bōlàng, the larger rolling waves) and 涟漪 (liányī, literary for gentle water ripples).

noun

ripple (on water)corrugation (on a surface)

Examples

波纹。
Hú miàn shàng fàn qǐ le céng céng bō wén.
Layers of ripples spread across the lake.
波纹，。
Zhè zhǒng jīn shǔ bǎn shàng yǒu xì mì de bō wén, kě yǐ zēng jiā qiáng dù.
This metal sheet has fine corrugations to increase strength.
，波纹。
Fēng chuī guò dào tián, xiàng lǜ sè de bō wén yí yàng měi lì.
The wind blew across the rice paddies, beautiful like green ripples.

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.

纹wénpattern

波 names waves and 纹 names patterns, together meaning ripple or corrugation.

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.

氵皮波

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

皮

皮pí波bō

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

The left side 氵 is water, and the right side 皮 gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 紋; 纹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìthread

Sound part声符shēngfú

文

Same sound today

The traditional form 紋 pairs 糸 (thread) with 文 as the sound part, giving the sense of a line of thread; this note is about 紋, not 纹.

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