乳剂 (rǔ jì) — emulsion

Definition

A technical term for an emulsion — a fine mixture of two liquids that normally don't blend, like oil in water. Used in chemistry, photography (film coatings), and medical gels.

noun
emulsion

Examples

  • 乳剂，。
    Zhè zhǒng rǔ jì de gǎn guāng dù hěn gāo, shì hé zài ruò guāng xià pāi shè.
    This type of emulsion has high sensitivity, suitable for shooting in low light.
  • ，乳剂。
    Zài huà xué shí yàn zhōng, rǔ jì de wěn dìng xìng fēi cháng zhòng yào.
    In chemical experiments, the stability of the emulsion is very important.
  • 乳剂，。
    Hù shi bǎ rǔ jì tú zài bìng rén pí fū shàng, zhǔn bèi jìn xíng chāo shēng jiǎn chá.
    The nurse applied the emulsion to the patient's skin to prepare for an ultrasound examination.

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.

乳rǔmilk-like
剂jìpreparation

乳 (milk-like) specifies 剂 (a preparation), naming an emulsion.

Characters in this word

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

乳 originally drew a kneeling woman holding and breastfeeding a child, matching its meanings of breast and milk.

Open 乳 →

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 劑; 剂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刂Written in full as刀dāo
Sound part声符shēngfú
齊
齊qí劑jì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 劑, 齊 gives the sound and 刂 (刀, a knife) shows the meaning. The simplified 剂 is a later shorthand.

Open 剂 →

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