乙烯 (yǐ xī) — ethylene (ethene) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

ethylene (ethene)

Examples

乙烯。
yǐ xī Shì yì zhǒng zhòng yào de huà gōng yuán liào.
Ethylene is an important chemical raw material.
乙烯。
Shuǐ guǒ zài chéng shú shí huì shì fàng yǐ xī.
Fruits release ethylene when they ripen.
乙烯。
yǐ xī Kě yǐ yòng lái zhì zào sù liào.
Ethylene can be used to make plastics.

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.

乙yǐsecond

烯xīalkene

乙 (second) combines with 烯 (alkene) to name ethylene.

Characters in this word

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

The origin of 乙 is obscure, with old suggestions including a plant trying to sprout, a fish's intestine or gill bone, or flowing water.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

火希烯

Meaning part形符xíngfú

火火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

希

希xī烯xī

Same sound today

烯 pairs 火 (fire) with 希, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Physics & Chemistry

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