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炼金术 (liàn jīn shù) — (noun) alchemy; the medieval chemical science that aimed to turn base metals into gold; (noun, Chinese context) the Daoist practice of making elixirs of immortality

Definition

A historical practice: in the West, turning base metals into gold; in China, also a Daoist art of brewing elixirs for immortality.

noun
alchemythe medieval chemical science that aimed to turn base metals into gold(noun, Chinese context) the Daoist practice of making elixirs of immortality

Examples

  • 炼金术，。
    liàn jīn shù Shì yì mén gǔ lǎo de xué wèn, shì tú bǎ pǔ tōng jīn shǔ biàn chéng huáng jīn.
    Alchemy is an ancient study that attempts to turn base metals into gold.
  • ，炼金术。
    Zài zhōng guó gǔ dài, liàn jīn shù yě zhǐ liàn zhì cháng shēng bù lǎo yào de fāng fǎ.
    In ancient China, alchemy also referred to methods of concocting elixirs of immortality.
  • 炼金术。
    Zhè běn shū xiáng xì jiè shào le zhōng shì jì ōu zhōu de liàn jīn shù lì shǐ.
    This book details the history of alchemy in medieval Europe.

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.

炼金refine gold
炼liànrefine金jīngold
动宾Verb + object
术shùart

炼金术 combines 炼金 (refine gold) and 术 (art): the art of refining gold.

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 煉; 炼 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 炼 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words it is 煉; in others (锻炼) it is 鍊.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
柬
柬jiǎn煉liàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 煉 pairs 火 (fire) with 柬 as its sound part. The simplified 炼 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical component.

Open 炼 →

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

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Open 金 →

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 術; 术 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíngstreet, path
Sound part声符shēngfú
朮
朮zhú術shù
Same sound today

The traditional form 術 has 行 (street, path) beside 朮, which gives the sound; the simplified 术 is a later shorthand.

Open 术 →
Appears in
Science (General)

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