TongTong
Sign in

矿石 (kuàng shí) — ore

Definition

noun
ore
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 矿石。
    Zhè xiē kuàng shí hán yǒu hěn duō tiě yuán sù.
    These ores contain a lot of iron.
  • 。
    Cǎi kuàng shí shì yì zhǒng wēi xiǎn de gōng zuò.
    Mining ore is a dangerous job.
  • 矿石。
    Gōng rén men cóng kuàng dòng lǐ yùn chū le dà liàng kuàng shí.
    The workers transported large amounts of ore out of the mine.

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.

矿kuàngmineral
石shístone

矿 points to mineral substance and 石 to stone, giving an ore.

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 礦; 矿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
廣
廣guǎng礦kuàng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 礦 shows 石, meaning stone, beside 廣, which gives the sound. The simplified 矿 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 矿 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 石 shows a stone under a cliff-like overhang, or a cave set into a cliff side.

Open 石 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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