密度 (mì dù) — density | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Density — how much mass is packed into a given volume (e.g. of a substance), or how crowded/concentrated something is (e.g. traffic, population). 厚度 is just physical thickness, not how tightly packed.

noun

density

Examples

密度。
Zhè ge chéng shì de jiāo tōng mì dù hěn gāo.
This city has a high traffic density.
密度。
Shuǐ de mì dù bǐ yóu dà.
Water has a higher density than oil.
密度。
Jì suàn mì dù xū yào zhī dào zhì liàng hé tǐ jī.
To calculate density, you need to know the mass and volume.

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.

度dùdegree

密 means dense and 度 means degree, so the word names how dense something is.

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.

宓山密

Meaning part形符xíngfú

山山shānmountain

Sound part声符shēngfú

宓

宓mì密mì

Same sound today

密 pairs 山 (mountain) with 宓 (mì), which gives the pronunciation, to picture something hidden in the mountains, hence secret.

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

又又yòuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

石

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

度 has 又 (hand) and a changed form of 石; 石 gives a related sound, and the hand is tied to using the hand as a reference for measurement.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Physics & Chemistry

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.