除尘 (chú chén) — to remove dust, to dust (a surface)

Definition

除尘 means to remove dust from a surface — a technical/industrial term, more formal than everyday words like 打扫 or 擦. It is typically used in contexts such as workshops, machinery, or air filtration, not casual household cleaning.

verb
to remove dustto dust (a surface)

Examples

  • 除尘。
    Tā men yòng zhuān mén de gōng jù lái chú chén.
    They use specialized tools to remove dust.
  • 。
    Chē jiān xū yào dìng qī chú yí xià chén.
    The workshop needs to be dusted regularly.
  • 。
    Zhè tái jī qì chú le chén cái néng jì xù shǐ yòng.
    This machine can only be used again after the dust has been removed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

除chúremove
尘chéndust

除 means remove, and 尘 means dust, so together they mean to remove dust.

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
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú除chú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

除 is built from 阜 and 余, with 余 giving the sound.

Open 除 →

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

In 尘, 小 (small) sits above 土 (earth), giving the idea of tiny bits of earth.

Open 尘 →

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