核物理 (hé wù lǐ) — nuclear physics | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

nuclear physics

Examples

核物理。
Tā dà xué de shí hou zhǔ xiū hé wù lǐ.
He majored in nuclear physics in college.
核物理。
hé wù lǐ Shì yì mén yán jiū yuán zǐ hé de xué kē.
Nuclear physics is a subject that studies atomic nuclei.
核物理。
Tā zài hé wù lǐ shí yàn shì gōng zuò le hěn duō nián.
He worked in a nuclear physics lab for many years.

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.

核hénucleus

物理physics

物wùmatter理lǐprinciple

偏正Modifier + head

核 as nucleus joins 物理, from 物 matter and 理 principle, to mean nuclear physics.

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.

木亥核

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

亥

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

核 pairs 木, a tree, with 亥 to give its sound; it originally named a kind of tree, and its later meanings are borrowed.

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

牛勿物

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

勿

勿wù物wù

Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

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

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

里

里lǐ理lǐ

Same sound today

理 pairs 玉 (jade) with 里, which shows how to say it; the jade part points to the old sense of polishing jade.

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