废油 (fèi yóu) — waste oil; used oil

Definition

Used or spent oil — oil that has already been used (from cooking, engines, industry) and is no longer fit for its original purpose. A technical term in environmental, industrial, and waste-management contexts.

noun
waste oilused oil

Examples

  • 废油，。
    Zhè jiā cān guǎn de fèi yóu yīng gāi tuǒ shàn chǔ lǐ, bù néng suí biàn dào jìn xià shuǐ dào.
    The waste oil from this restaurant should be properly disposed of and not just poured down the drain.
  • 废油，。
    Gōng chǎng bǎ dà liàng de fèi yóu pái fàng dào hé lǐ, zào chéng le yán zhòng de wū rǎn.
    The factory discharged large amounts of waste oil into the river, causing severe pollution.
  • 废油。
    Zhè xiē fèi yóu jīng guò chǔ lǐ hòu kě yǐ zhuǎn huà chéng shēng wù chái yóu.
    After processing, this waste oil can be converted into biodiesel.

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.

废fèiwaste
油yóuoil

废 (waste) and 油 (oil) combine to mean unusable oil.

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 廢; 废 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
广广guǎnghouse
Sound part声符shēngfú
發
發fā廢fèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 廢 shows 广 as a house and 發 as the sound.

Open 废 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
由
由yóu油yóu
Same sound today

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

Open 油 →

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