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红外线 (hóng wài xiàn) — infrared ray, infrared radiation

Definition

noun
infrared rayinfrared radiation

Examples

  • 红外线，。
    hóng wài xiàn Shì guāng de yì zhǒng, yǎn jing kàn bú dào.
    Infrared is a kind of light that the eye cannot see.
  • 红外线。
    Yáo kòng qì shǐ yòng hóng wài xiàn lái chuán dì xìn hào.
    The remote control uses infrared rays to transmit signals.
  • 红外线。
    hóng wài xiàn Shè xiàng tóu kě yǐ bāng zhù jiǎn chá tǐ wēn.
    An infrared camera can help check body temperature.

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.

红外infrared
红hóngred外wàioutside
偏正Modifier + head
线xiànray

红 and 外 give the idea of beyond red, while 线 gives the idea of ray.

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 紅; 红 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng紅hóng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 紅 puts 糸 (silk) next to 工, which gives the sound; the simplified 红 is a later shorthand.

Open 红 →

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
卜卜bǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
月
月yuè外wài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

外 pairs 卜 with 月, a crescent moon; in its older form, the 卜 part had a horizontal bar extending outward, giving the sense of outside.

Open 外 →

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →
Appears in
Physics & Chemistry

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