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硬木 (yìng mù) — hardwood

Definition

Hardwood: wood from broad-leaved trees (oak, maple, walnut), denser and more durable than softwood (软木).

noun
hardwood
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • 硬木。
    Zhè zhāng zhuō zi shì yòng yìng mù zuò de.
    This table is made of hardwood.
  • 硬木。
    yìng mù Dì bǎn bǐ ruǎn mù dì bǎn gèng nài yòng.
    Hardwood flooring is more durable than softwood flooring.
  • 硬木。
    Tā xǐ huan shōu jí yìng mù jiā jù.
    He likes to collect hardwood furniture.

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
木mùwood

硬 describes the 木 as hard, giving hardwood.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

木 is drawn as a tree, with branches above and roots below.

Open 木 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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