硝酸 (xiāo suān) — nitric acid

Definition

noun
nitric acid

Examples

  • 硝酸。
    Shí yàn shì lǐ xū yào yòng dào xiāo suān.
    Nitric acid is needed in the lab.
  • 硝酸。
    xiāo suān Shì yì zhǒng qiáng suān.
    Nitric acid is a strong acid.
  • 硝酸。
    Gōng yè shàng cháng yòng xiāo suān lái zuò féi liào.
    Industry often uses nitric acid to make fertilizer.

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xiāosaltpeter
酸suānacid

硝 and 酸 name the acid associated with saltpeter.

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 →

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