生锈 (shēng xiù) — to become rusty; to rust | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A descriptive verb meaning 'to rust' — used for iron or metal objects that oxidize over time. Pairs naturally with 了 (already rusted) and adverbs like 容易 ('rusts easily').

verb

to become rustyto rust

Examples

。
Tiě mén shēng le hěn duō xiù.
The iron gate has gotten a lot of rust.
生锈。
Zhè bǎ dāo róng yì shēng xiù.
This knife rusts easily.
生锈。
Zhè tái jī qì shēng xiù le bù néng yòng.
This machine has rusted and can't be used.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

生shēngproduce

生 means produce and 锈 means rust, together picturing metal producing rust.

Characters in this word

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

屮屮chèbud
一一yīground

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

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 鏽; 锈 is its simplified writing.

金肅鏽

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

肅

肅sù鏽xiù

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

The etymology shown is for 鏽: 鏽 pairs 金 (metal) with 肅 as the sound part.

Appears in

HSK 2.0 Level 6 Change & Process

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