化油器 (huà yóu qì) — carburetor | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

carburetor

Measure word · 个

化油器。
Zhè liàng chē de huà yóu qì huài le.
The carburetor of this car is broken.
化油器。
Shī fu zhèng zài qīng xǐ huà yóu qì.
The mechanic is cleaning the carburetor.
化油器。
Nǐ xū yào huàn yí gè xīn de huà yóu qì.
You need to replace it with a new carburetor.

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.

化油transform oil

动宾Verb + object

化 turns oil into vapor, and 器 is the device doing this.

Characters in this word

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

化 shows two person figures, one upright and one upside down, to give the idea of reversal or change.

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

氵由油

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

由

Same sound today

油 is built from 氵, a water part, and 由, which supplies the sound.

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.