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硝酸盐 (xiāo suān yán) — nitrate (chemical compound)

Definition

noun
nitrate (chemical compound)
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • 硝酸盐。
    Zhè zhǒng féi liào hán yǒu dà liàng de xiāo suān yán.
    This fertilizer contains a large amount of nitrate.
  • 硝酸盐。
    xiāo suān yán Zài nóng yè zhōng cháng yòng zuò dàn féi.
    Nitrate is commonly used as nitrogen fertilizer in agriculture.
  • 硝酸盐。
    Kē xué jiā zhèng zài yán jiū xiāo suān yán duì shuǐ zhì de yǐng xiǎng.
    Scientists are studying the impact of nitrate on water quality.

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.

硝酸nitric acid
硝xiāosaltpeter酸suānacid
偏正Modifier + head
盐yánsalt

'硝' refers to saltpeter, '酸' means acid, and '盐' means salt; together they name the salt formed from nitric acid.

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
肖
肖xiào硝xiāo
Same sound today

硝 is built from 石, “stone,” and 肖, which provides the sound.

Open 硝 →

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
酉酉yǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
夋
夋qūn酸suān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酸 is built from 酉 and 夋, and 夋 gives the sound.

Open 酸 →

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 鹽; 盐 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鹵鹵lǔsalt
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān鹽yán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鹽 uses 鹵 to show salt and 監 for the sound; the simplified 盐 is a later shorthand.

Open 盐 →
Appears in
Physics & Chemistry

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