改用 (gǎi yòng) — to change the use of; to switch to using (somet… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

verb

to change the use ofto switch to using (something else)

Examples

改用。
Gōng sī jué dìng gǎi yòng xīn néng yuán lái jiàng dī tàn pái fàng.
The company decided to switch to new energy to reduce carbon emissions.
改用。
Zhè jiān jiào shì bèi gǎi yòng chéng shí yàn shì le.
This classroom was converted into a laboratory.
，改用。
Yóu yú chéng běn wèn tí, tā men gǎi yòng le lìng yì zhǒng shēng chǎn fāng fǎ.
Due to cost issues, they switched to another production method.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

'改' (change) and '用' (use) combine to mean changing what one uses.

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

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

巳

巳sì改gǎi

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

An early form of 改 paired 巳 as a sound part with 攴 as a meaning part; the sound part later changed.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Appears in

Change & Process

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