硬度 (yìng dù) — hardness (the property of being physically hard or resistant to deformation or indentation)

Definition

noun
hardness (the property of being physically hard or resistant to deformation or indentation)

Examples

  • 硬度。
    Zhè zhǒng gāng cái de yìng dù fēi cháng gāo.
    The hardness of this type of steel is very high.
  • 硬度。
    Shuǐ de yìng dù yóu qí zhōng gài měi lí zǐ hán liàng jué dìng.
    The hardness of water is determined by its calcium and magnesium ion content.
  • 硬度硬度。
    Mò shì yìng dù biǎo shì héng liáng kuàng wù yìng dù de biāo zhǔn.
    The Mohs hardness scale is a standard for measuring the hardness of minerals.

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.

硬yìnghard
度dùdegree

硬 gives the property of being hard, and 度 gives the measured degree, naming hardness.

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shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
更
更gèng硬yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

硬 is built from 石, meaning stone, to show hardness or stiffness, and 更, which gives the sound.

Open 硬 →

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
又又yòuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
石
石shí度dù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

度 has 又 (hand) and a changed form of 石; 石 gives a related sound, and the hand is tied to using the hand as a reference for measurement.

Open 度 →

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