表面积 (biǎo miàn jī) — surface area

Definition

noun
surface area

Examples

  • 表面积。
    Zhè ge lì fāng tǐ de biǎo miàn jī shì liù píng fāng mǐ.
    The surface area of this cube is six square meters.
  • 表面积。
    Qiú de biǎo miàn jī bǐ tóng yàng tǐ jī de lì fāng tǐ xiǎo.
    The surface area of a sphere is smaller than that of a cube of the same volume.
  • 表面积。
    Jì suàn zhè ge yuán zhù de biǎo miàn jī xū yào zhī dào bàn jìng hé gāo.
    To calculate the surface area of this cylinder, you need to know the radius and height.

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.

表面surface
表biǎosurface面miànsurface
联合Side by side
积jīarea

表 and 面 both mean surface, and 积 denotes area, so the whole names the area of a surface.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 表 pairs 衣 (garment) with 毛 (hair or feather), originally an outer garment.

Open 表 →

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

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →

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.

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 →

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