聚氨酯 (jù ān zhǐ) — polyurethane

Definition

noun
polyurethane

Examples

  • 聚氨酯。
    Zhè zhǒng jù ān zhǐ cái liào fēi cháng nài yòng.
    This kind of polyurethane material is very durable.
  • 聚氨酯。
    Tā men yòng jù ān zhǐ zuò xié dǐ.
    They use polyurethane to make shoe soles.
  • 聚氨酯。
    jù ān zhǐ Tú liào kě yǐ bǎo hù mù tou.
    Polyurethane paint can protect wood.

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.

聚jùpolymer
氨酯urethane
氨ānamino酯zhǐester
偏正Modifier + head

聚 means polymerized and 氨酯 names the urethane unit, so together they describe a polymer built from urethane groups.

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
乑乑yínthree men
Sound part声符shēngfú
取
取qǔ聚jù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

聚 is built from 取, which gives the sound, and 乑, drawn as three men, to show people coming together.

Open 聚 →

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
气气qìgas
Sound part声符shēngfú
安
安ān氨ān
Same sound today

氨 pairs 气 (gas) with 安, which gives the sound ān; the 气 part shows that it names a gas.

Open 氨 →

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yǒuoxygenated functional group
Sound part声符shēngfú
旨
旨zhǐ酯zhǐ
Same sound today

The left 酉 part marks it as an oxygenated organic compound, and the right 旨 part gives the sound.

Open 酯 →

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