黄沙 (huáng shā) — yellow sand, yellow dust (especially in sandstorms or deserts)

Definition

noun
yellow sandyellow dust (especially in sandstorms or deserts)

Examples

  • 黄沙，。
    Shā mò lǐ dào chù dōu shì huáng shā, yì yǎn wàng bú dào biān.
    The desert is covered in yellow sand as far as the eye can see.
  • ，黄沙。
    Jīn tiān guā qǐ le shā chén bào, mǎn tiān dōu shì huáng shā.
    A sandstorm kicked up today, filling the sky with yellow dust.
  • 黄沙，。
    Gōng dì shàng duī zhe yí dà duī huáng shā, zhǔn bèi yòng lái jiǎo bàn shuǐ ní.
    A big pile of yellow sand sits on the construction site, ready to be mixed with cement.

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.

黄huángyellow
沙shāsand

黄 names the yellow color, and 沙 names the sand.

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 黃; 黄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
炗
炗guāng黃huáng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 黃 pairs 田 (field) with 炗 (light), which gives the sound; the simplified 黄 is a shorthand and its parts are not historical components.

Open 黄 →

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

沙 puts 少 (dots) beside 水 (water), showing sand on a shoreline.

Open 沙 →

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