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硝酸铵 (xiāo suān ǎn) — ammonium nitrate

Definition

noun
ammonium nitrate

Examples

  • 硝酸铵。
    xiāo suān ǎn Shì yì zhǒng cháng yòng de huà féi.
    Ammonium nitrate is a commonly used fertilizer.
  • 硝酸铵。
    Gōng chǎng zhèng zài shēng chǎn dà liàng xiāo suān ǎn.
    The factory is producing large quantities of ammonium nitrate.
  • 硝酸铵。
    Chǔ cún xiāo suān ǎn shí bì xū zhù yì ān quán.
    Safety must be observed when storing ammonium nitrate.

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/nitric酸suānacid
偏正Modifier + head
铵ǎnammonium

硝 and 酸 give nitric acid, and 铵 gives ammonium; together they name ammonium nitrate.

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 銨; 铵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
安
安ān銨ǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 銨 pairs 金 (metal) with 安, which gives the sound; the simplified 铵 is a later shorthand.

Open 铵 →
Appears in
Physics & Chemistry

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