铁锈 (tiě xiù) — rust | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

rust

铁锈。
Zhè bǎ jiù dāo shàng quán shì tiě xiù.
This old knife is covered in rust.
，。
Tiě guǎn shēng tiě xiù le, xū yào huàn xīn de.
The iron pipe has rusted and needs to be replaced.
铁锈。
tiě xiù Huì màn màn fǔ shí jīn shǔ biǎo miàn.
Rust slowly corrodes the metal surface.

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.

铁 means iron and 锈 means rust, giving rust formed on iron.

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 鐵; 铁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢧤

𢧤𢧤鐵tiě

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

The traditional form 鐵 pairs 金 (metal) with 𢧤 as a sound part; the simplified 铁 is a later shorthand.

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 鏽; 锈 is its simplified writing.

金肅鏽

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

肅

肅sù鏽xiù

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

The etymology shown is for 鏽: 鏽 pairs 金 (metal) with 肅 as the sound part.