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自然灾害 (zì rán zāi hài) — natural disaster

Definition

noun
natural disaster
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，自然灾害。
    Zuì jìn jǐ nián, zhè ge dì qū jīng cháng fā shēng zì rán zāi hài.
    In recent years, this region has frequently experienced natural disasters.
  • 自然灾害。
    Zhèng fǔ yīng gāi cǎi qǔ cuò shī jiǎn shǎo zì rán zāi hài dài lái de sǔn shī.
    The government should take measures to reduce the losses caused by natural disasters.
  • 自然灾害。
    Kē xué jiā zhèng zài yán jiū rú hé yù cè zì rán zāi hài.
    Scientists are studying how to predict natural disasters.

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.

自然natural
自zìself然ránso
主谓Subject + predicate
灾害disaster
灾zāidisaster害hàiharm
联合Coordinate

自然 means natural, and 灾害 means disaster, so together they refer to a natural disaster.

Characters in this word

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
肰
肰rán然rán
Same sound today

然 is made from 肰, which gives the sound, and 火, which shows fire, matching the old sense 'to burn'.

Open 然 →

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 災; 灾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡿧
𡿧𡿧災zāi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 災 combines 火 (fire) with 𡿧, an old picture of flowing water that supplied the sound; the simplified 灾 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 灾 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丯
丯jiè害hài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

害 was borrowed purely for its sound. Its old picture, possibly a house rafter, is unrelated to harm.

Open 害 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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