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微积分 (wēi jī fēn) — calculus

Definition

noun
calculus

Examples

  • 微积分。
    Dà xué yī nián jí yào xué wēi jī fēn.
    You have to study calculus in the first year of university.
  • 微积分。
    wēi jī fēn Shì gāo děng shù xué de jī chǔ.
    Calculus is the foundation of advanced mathematics.
  • 微积分。
    Tā huā le sān nián shí jiān cái nòng dǒng wēi jī fēn.
    It took him three years to finally understand calculus.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

微wēidifferential
积分integral
积jīaccumulate分fēnparts
动宾Verb + object

微 here is a shortened form of the differential term, while 积分 names the integral; together they refer to differential and integral calculus.

Characters in this word

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

The old form showed 𡵂 (a variant of 美, a person with long hair) and 攵 (a hand with a tool) splitting or combing hairs, hence minute; 微 later added 彳 to emphasize action.

Open 微 →

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 積; 积 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
責
責zé積jī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 積 pairs 禾 (grain) with 責, which gives the sound; the simplified 积 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 积 →

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

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →
Appears in
MathSchool Subjects

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