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砒霜 (pī shuāng) — white arsenic, arsenic trioxide (a highly toxic poison)

Definition

Highly toxic chemical (arsenic trioxide), a famous poison in Chinese history and literature. Refers specifically to the white powdered form, not arsenic in general.

noun
white arsenicarsenic trioxide (a highly toxic poison)

Examples

  • 砒霜。
    Zhè zhǒng pī shuāng yǒu hěn gāo de dú xìng.
    This type of arsenic is highly toxic.
  • 砒霜。
    Lì shǐ shàng pī shuāng céng bèi yòng zuò yào wù.
    In history, arsenic was once used as a medicine.
  • 砒霜。
    Tā men fā xiàn píng zi lǐ yǒu pī shuāng.
    They found arsenic in the bottle.

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.

砒pīarsenic
霜shuāngfrost

砒 names the arsenic substance, and 霜 names its frost-like white powder.

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
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
比
比bǐ砒pī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

砒 pairs 石 (stone) with 比, which gives the character's sound.

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
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
相
相xiāng霜shuāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

霜 has 雨 (rain) on top for weather and 相 (xiāng) below for the sound.

Open 霜 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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