蒸汽机 (zhēng qì jī) — steam engine

Definition

noun
steam engine
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 蒸汽机。
    zhēng qì jī Shì gōng yè gé mìng de zhòng yào fā míng.
    The steam engine was an important invention of the Industrial Revolution.
  • 蒸汽机。
    Zhè tái zhēng qì jī yǐ jīng yòng le hěn duō nián.
    This steam engine has been used for many years.
  • 蒸汽机。
    Zuì zǎo de zhēng qì jī shì yīng guó rén fā míng de.
    The earliest steam engine was invented by the British.

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.

蒸汽steam
蒸zhēngsteam汽qìvapor
偏正Modifier + head
机jīmachine

The steam 蒸汽 and machine 机 combine to name a steam engine.

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
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
烝
烝zhēng蒸zhēng
Same sound today

蒸 pairs 艸 (grass) with 烝, which gives the sound.

Open 蒸 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì汽
Same sound today

The 氵 part is water, and 气 is used for the sound and also means air, so 汽 shows water in an air-like form.

Open 汽 →

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
木木mùtree; wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
几
几jǐ机jī
Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Open 机 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.