水翼船 (shuǐ yì chuán) — hydrofoil boat

Definition

A hydrofoil boat — a fast vessel whose underwater foils lift the hull above the water at speed, reducing drag.

noun
hydrofoil boat
Measure word · 艘

Examples

  • 水翼船。
    Zhè sōu shuǐ yì chuán de sù dù fēi cháng kuài.
    This hydrofoil boat is very fast.
  • 水翼船。
    Tā men zuò shuǐ yì chuán qù hǎi dǎo shàng wán.
    They took a hydrofoil boat to the island for fun.
  • 水翼船。
    shuǐ yì chuán Zài shuǐ miàn shàng fēi chí.
    The hydrofoil boat sped across the water.

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.

水翼hydrofoil
水shuǐwater翼yìwing
偏正Modifier + head
船chuánboat

水翼船 combines 水, water, and 翼, wing, as a hydrofoil, with 船, boat.

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
羽羽yǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
異
異yì翼yì
Same sound today

翼 combines 羽 (feathers/wings) with 異, which supplies the sound.

Open 翼 →

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
舟舟zhōuboat
Sound part声符shēngfú
㕣
㕣㕣船
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

船 pairs 舟 (boat) with 㕣 for its sound.

Open 船 →

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