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温泉 (wēn quán) — hot spring

Definition

noun
hot spring
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 温泉。
    Dōng tiān qù wēn quán pào yi pào hěn shū fu.
    It's very comfortable to go soak in a hot spring in winter.
  • 温泉。
    Zhè ge wēn quán de shuǐ wēn gāng gāng hǎo.
    The water temperature of this hot spring is just right.
  • 温泉。
    Tā měi nián dōu yào qù rì běn pào wēn quán.
    He goes to Japan every year to soak in hot springs.

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.

温wēnwarm
泉quánspring

温 gives warmth and 泉 gives spring, so the word names a warm spring.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 溫; 温 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 溫 is based on an older form 𥁕, which drew a person bathing in a container full of warm water. The simplified 温 is a later variant.

Open 温 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

泉 pairs 白 (spring mouth) with 水 (water) to show water flowing from the source of a spring.

Open 泉 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Geography & Landforms

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