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水道 (shuǐ dào) — waterway, canal, aqueduct; drain, drainage channel

Definition

水道 covers any channel that moves water — natural or man-made. Examples usually pair with 用于, 修建, or 系统: irrigation canals (用于灌溉), city drains (地下∼系统), and Roman-style aqueducts.

noun
waterwaycanalaqueductdraindrainage channel
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 水道。
    Zhè tiáo shuǐ dào yòng yú guàn gài nóng tián.
    This canal is used for irrigating farmland.
  • 。
    Chéng shì de dì xià shuǐ dào xì tǒng xū yào dìng qī wéi hù.
    The city's underground drainage system needs regular maintenance.
  • 水道。
    Gǔ dài luó mǎ rén xiū jiàn le xǔ duō shuǐ dào.
    The ancient Romans built many aqueducts.

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
道dàoway

水道 joins 水 (water) and 道 (way), a way for water.

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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