甘油 (gān yóu) — glycerin | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

glycerin

Examples

甘油。
Hěn duō hù fū pǐn lǐ dōu hán yǒu gān yóu.
Many skincare products contain glycerin.
甘油，。
gān yóu Kàn qǐ lái xiàng shuǐ, dàn shì bǐ shuǐ gèng nián.
Glycerin looks like water, but it is stickier than water.
甘油。
gān yóu Kě yǐ dài tì táng lái zēng jiā tián wèi.
Glycerin can replace sugar to add sweetness.

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.

甘 means sweet and 油 means oil; the word names a sweet oily substance, glycerin.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

甘 originally drew an open mouth with something sweet inside it. This gives the sense of sweet or pleasant.

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

氵由油

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.

Appears in

Materials & Substances Toiletries & Cosmetics

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.