双曲线 (shuāng qū xiàn) — (mathematics) hyperbola

Definition

noun
(mathematics) hyperbola
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 双曲线。
    Lǎo shī zhèng zài hēi bǎn shàng huà yì tiáo shuāng qū xiàn.
    The teacher is drawing a hyperbola on the blackboard.
  • 双曲线。
    Zhè tiáo shuāng qū xiàn yǒu liǎng gè jiāo diǎn.
    This hyperbola has two foci.
  • 双曲线。
    Wǒ men míng tiān yào xué shuāng qū xiàn de fāng chéng.
    We are going to study the equation of a hyperbola tomorrow.

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.

双shuāngdouble
曲线curve
曲qǔbent线xiànline
偏正Modifier + head

“双” (double) and “曲线” (bent line) name a curve with two branches, a hyperbola.

Characters in this word

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

双 is made of two 又 parts side by side. Repeating 又 gives the sense of a pair.

Open 双 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

曲 is drawn as a bent object, matching the meaning 'bend'.

Open 曲 →

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →

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