化纤 (huà xiān) — chemical fiber, synthetic fiber

Definition

noun

chemical fibersynthetic fiber

Measure word · 种

化纤，。
Zhè jiàn yī fu shì huà xiān zuò de, xǐ qǐ lái hěn fāng biàn.
This piece of clothing is made of chemical fiber, so it's very easy to wash.
化纤。
huà xiān Miàn liào bǐ chún mián gèng nài mó.
Chemical fiber fabric is more durable than pure cotton.
化纤。
Xǔ duō yùn dòng fú dōu cǎi yòng huà xiān cái liào.
Many sportswear items use chemical fiber materials.

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huàchemical

化 means chemical and 纤 means fiber, so the word names chemical or synthetic fiber.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 纖; 纤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìsilk

Sound part声符shēngfú

韱

韱xiān纖qiàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 纖 uses 糸 for silk and 韱 for the sound; the simplified 纤 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.