悬浮 (xuán fú) — to suspend, to hover, to be suspended (in air o… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

"To hover / be suspended" — solid particles held in a liquid or gas without dissolving, or objects floating in air. A technical term common in chemistry and physics (e.g. 磁悬浮列车).

verb

to suspendto hoverto be suspended (in air or liquid)(in chemistry) to be in suspensionto suspend (particles)

Examples

悬浮。
Qì qiú zài tiān kōng zhōng xuán fú zhe.
The balloon is hovering in the sky.
悬浮。
Zhè zhǒng yè tǐ zhōng xuán fú zhe wēi xiǎo de kē lì.
This liquid contains suspended tiny particles.
悬浮悬浮。
Cí xuán fú liè chē lì yòng cí lì xuán fú zài guǐ dào shàng fāng.
Maglev trains hover above the track using magnetic force.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

悬 (hang) and 浮 (float) combine to mean suspended or floating in a medium.

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 懸; 悬 is its simplified writing.

縣心懸

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

縣

縣xiàn懸xuán

Same sound today

The traditional form 懸 adds 心, “heart,” to the older form 縣, which gave the sound. The simplified 悬 is a later abbreviation.

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

水水shuǐriver

Sound part声符shēngfú

孚

孚fú浮fú

Same sound today

浮 pairs 水 (river) with 孚, which gives the sound; the river part points to its meaning of floating.

Appears in

Physics & Chemistry

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