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水晶 (shuǐ jīng) — crystal

Definition

Refers to the solid, transparent material (quartz crystal), often used for jewelry and ornaments. 结晶 names the substance or the process of crystallizing; 液晶 is the technical term for 'liquid crystal'.

noun
crystal
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 水晶。
    Tā mǎi le yí gè piào liang de shuǐ jīng bēi.
    She bought a beautiful crystal glass.
  • 水晶。
    Zhè kuài shuǐ jīng hěn tòu míng.
    This piece of crystal is very transparent.
  • 水晶。
    shuǐ jīng Xiàng liàn shì tā de shēng rì lǐ wù.
    The crystal necklace was her birthday gift.

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.

水shuǐwater
晶jīngcrystal

水 (“water”) and 晶 (“crystal”) together name a clear, glassy stone.

Characters in this word

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →

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

晶 is drawn as three suns placed together, giving a picture of bright light.

Open 晶 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Materials & Substances

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