截面 (jié miàn) — cross section; section (as of a cut plane)

Definition

A technical term for a 'cross section' — the flat surface exposed by cutting through an object (as in engineering, anatomy, or geometry). Not used for ordinary 'section' or 'part' in everyday speech.

noun
cross sectionsection (as of a cut plane)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 截面。
    Gōng chéng shī fēn xī le zhè ge gāng liáng de jié miàn.
    The engineer analyzed the cross section of this steel beam.
  • ，截面。
    Zài jiě pōu kè shàng, wǒ men guān chá le xīn zàng de jié miàn.
    In anatomy class, we observed a cross section of the heart.
  • 截面，。
    jié miàn Miàn jī yuè dà, jié gòu yuè wěn dìng.
    The larger the cross-sectional area, the more stable the structure.

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.

截jiécut
面miànsurface

截, cutting, and 面, surface, combine to name the surface exposed by a cut.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戈戈gē
Sound part声符shēngfú
雀
雀què截jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

截 combines 戈 and 雀, with 雀 supplying the sound.

Open 截 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →

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