水渠 (shuǐ qú) — canal; ditch | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

canalditch

Measure word · 条

Examples

水渠。
Zhè tiáo shuǐ qú guàn gài le zhōu wéi de nóng tián.
This canal irrigates the surrounding farmland.
水渠。
Nóng mín men zhèng zài qīng lǐ shuǐ qú lǐ de yū ní.
The farmers are cleaning the silt out of the ditch.
水渠。
Gǔ dài xiū jiàn de shuǐ qú zhì jīn réng zài shǐ yòng.
The canal built in ancient times is still in use today.

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.

渠qúchannel

水 is water and 渠 is a channel, together a water channel.

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.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

榘

榘jǔ渠qú

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

渠 pairs 水 (water) with 榘 (jǔ), which gives the sound.

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