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不锈钢 (bù xiù gāng) — stainless steel

Definition

noun
stainless steel

Examples

  • 不锈钢。
    Zhè ge guō shì bù xiù gāng zuò de.
    This pot is made of stainless steel.
  • 不锈钢。
    bù xiù gāng De cān jù bù róng yì shēng xiù.
    Stainless steel tableware doesn't rust easily.
  • 不锈钢。
    Zhè zhǒng bù xiù gāng de bǎo wēn bēi hěn hǎo yòng.
    This kind of stainless steel thermos is very practical.

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.

不锈not rusting
不bùnot锈xiùrust
偏正Modifier + head
钢gāngsteel

不锈 means not rusting, and 钢 is steel, so stainless steel is steel that does not rust.

Characters in this word

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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.

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.

Open 锈 →

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 鋼; 钢 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
岡
岡gāng鋼gàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 鋼 shows 金, meaning metal, next to 岡, which carries the sound gāng; the simplified 钢 is a later shorthand.

Open 钢 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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