钻井 (zuàn jǐng) — (verb-object) to drill a well; (noun) well-dril… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A verb-object compound meaning 'to drill a well' (and by extension the well-drilling operation itself). Refers to the industrial/technical process of boring into the ground to reach water, oil, or gas — not simply any hole-digging.

verb

(verb-object) to drill a well

noun

well-drilling

Examples

钻井。
Tā men zhèng zài shā mò lǐ zuàn jǐng.
They are drilling a well in the desert.
。
Zhè jiā gōng sī qù nián zuàn le sān kǒu jǐng.
This company drilled three wells last year.
钻井。
zuàn jǐng Shì yí xiàng wēi xiǎn de gōng zuò.
Well-drilling is a dangerous job.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

钻井 uses 钻 (drill) with 井 (well) to mean drilling a well.

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 鑽; 钻 is its simplified writing.

釒贊鑽

Meaning part形符xíngfú

釒Written in full as金jīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

贊

贊zàn鑽zuàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鑽 pairs 釒 (metal) with 贊, which gives the sound; the simplified 钻 is a later shorthand.

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

The shape of 井 draws a square well with supports on four sides.

Appears in

Industry & Manufacturing

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