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水源 (shuǐ yuán) — water source; headwaters

Definition

水源 is specifically the source of a community's drinking or usable water — physical places like a reservoir or mountain spring. 源泉 is broader and often figurative (e.g. 力量的源泉 'source of strength').

noun
water sourceheadwaters
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 水源。
    Bǎo hù shuǐ yuán shì wǒ men měi gè rén de zé rèn.
    Protecting water sources is everyone's responsibility.
  • 水源。
    Zhè ge chéng shì de shuǐ yuán lái zì yuǎn chù de shān.
    This city's water source comes from distant mountains.
  • 水源。
    Wū rǎn zhèng wēi xié zhe zhè ge shuǐ yuán.
    Pollution is threatening this water source.

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
源yuánsource

水 (“water”) and 源 (“source”) together name where water comes from.

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 →

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
原
原yuán源yuán
Same sound today

源 combines 水 (water) and 原 (origin): 水 points to water, and 原 gives the sound.

Open 源 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Geography & Landforms

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