机油 (jī yóu) — engine oil; lubricant | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

engine oillubricant

Measure word · 瓶

Examples

机油。
Qì chē měi gé wǔ qiān gōng lǐ xū yào gēng huàn yí cì jī yóu.
Cars need an oil change every five thousand kilometers.
机油。
Zhè liàng mó tuō chē gāi jiā jī yóu le.
This motorcycle needs an oil top-up.
机油。
Gāo pǐn zhì de jī yóu néng yán cháng fā dòng jī shòu mìng.
High-quality engine oil can extend the engine's lifespan.

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.

机jīengine

“机” indicates the engine, and “油” is oil, giving engine 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.

木几机

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree; wood

Sound part声符shēngfú

几

几jǐ机jī

Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

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

氵由油

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.

Appears in

Materials & Substances

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.