积雪 (jī xuě) — accumulated snow, snowpack

Definition

noun

accumulated snowsnowpack

Measure word · 层

Examples

积雪。
Dōng tiān shān shàng de jī xuě hěn hòu.
The accumulated snow on the mountain is thick in winter.
，积雪。
Yì chǎng dà xuě zhī hòu, jī xuě fù gài le zhěng gè cūn zhuāng.
After a heavy snowfall, the accumulated snow covered the entire village.
积雪。
Dēng shān zhě yào zhù yì jī xuě xià miàn de bīng céng.
Climbers should pay attention to the ice layer beneath the accumulated snow.

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.

积jīaccumulated

雪xuěsnow

“积” means accumulated and “雪” means snow, giving snow that has piled up.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 積; 积 is its simplified writing.

禾責積

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hé

Sound part声符shēngfú

責

責zé積jī

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 積 pairs 禾 (grain) with 責, which gives the sound; the simplified 积 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 积 →

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

雨雨yǔrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

彗

彗huì雪xuě

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

雪 pairs 雨, showing rain, with 彗, giving the sound.

Open 雪 →

Appears in

Weather