冲刷 (chōng shuā) — to erode (by water), to wash away, to scour

Definition

verb

to erode (by water)to wash awayto scour

冲刷。
Dà yǔ bǎ hé àn chōng shuā le.
The heavy rain eroded the riverbank.
冲刷。
Hǎi làng bú duàn dì chōng shuā zhe shā tān.
The waves continuously scour the beach.
冲刷。
Yǔ shuǐ chōng shuā le lù miàn shàng de ní tǔ.
The rain washed away the mud on the road.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

冲 means to rush or wash, and 刷 means to scour; together they describe washing away.

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 衝; 冲 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 冲 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (冲, 冲动) it is 衝; in others (冲) it is 沖.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

重

Same sound today

The traditional form 衝 shows 重 inside 行, with 行 as the meaning part and 重 as the sound part; the simplified 冲 is a later shorthand.

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

刀刀dāoknife

Sound part声符shēngfú

㕞

㕞㕞刷shuā

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

刷 uses 刀, a knife, and pairs it with 㕞 as a sound component.

Appears in