氯化钠 (lǜ huà nà) — sodium chloride (table salt)

Definition

noun

sodium chloride (table salt)

氯化钠。
Shí yàn shì lǐ cháng yòng lǜ huà nà pèi zhì shēng lǐ yán shuǐ.
Sodium chloride is commonly used in the lab to make saline.
氯化钠。
Zhè zhǒng jiàng yóu de pèi liào biǎo lǐ yǒu lǜ huà nà.
This soy sauce lists sodium chloride in its ingredients.
氯化钠。
Yī shēng jiàn yì měi tiān shè rù de lǜ huà nà bú yào chāo guò liù kè.
Doctors recommend not consuming more than six grams of sodium chloride per day.

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.

氯化chloride

氯lǜchlorine化huàcombined

偏正Modifier + head

氯化, 'chlorine-related', specifies what kind of 钠, 'sodium', forming sodium chloride.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

彔

彔lù氯lǜ

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

氯 pairs 气 (gas) with 彔, which gives the sound; 彔 is also a shortened form of a character meaning green.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

化 shows two person figures, one upright and one upside down, to give the idea of reversal or change.

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 鈉; 钠 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

內

內nèi鈉

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

The traditional form 鈉 uses 金 for metal and 內 to give its sound. The simplified 钠 is a later shorthand.