物化 (wù huà) — to objectify; (literary) to die, to pass away

Definition

Literary verb with two distinct senses: to 'objectify' (treat a person as a thing) and a euphemistic 'to pass away.' The death sense is poetic/written — avoid in everyday speech.

verb
to objectify(literary) to dieto pass away

Examples

  • ，。
    Zhè zhǒng lǐ lùn bǎ rén wù huà le, hū lüè le rén de qíng gǎn.
    This theory objectifies people and ignores their emotions.
  • 物化，。
    Lǎo rén yǐ yú qù nián wù huà, jià hè xī qù.
    The old man passed away last year, riding a crane to the west.
  • 物化。
    Yì shù zuò pǐn bù yīng wù huà rén xìng.
    Artworks should not objectify human nature.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

物wùthing
化huàbecome

The 物 undergoes 化, becoming an object.

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
牛牛niú
Sound part声符shēngfú
勿
勿wù物wù
Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Open 物 →

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

化 shows two person figures, one upright and one upside down, to give the idea of reversal or change.

Open 化 →

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