水闸 (shuǐ zhá) — sluice; water gate | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

sluicewater gate

Measure word · 座

Examples

水闸。
Xià tiān shuǐ kù de shuǐ zhá jīng cháng dǎ kāi.
In summer, the reservoir's sluice is often opened.
水闸，。
shuǐ zhá Huài le, xū yào mǎ shàng xiū lǐ.
The sluice is broken and needs immediate repair.
水闸。
Gōng rén zhèng zài xiū jiàn yí gè xīn de shuǐ zhá.
Workers are building a new sluice.

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 (water) and 闸 (gate) combine to mean a gate for controlling 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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 閘; 闸 is its simplified writing.

門甲閘

Meaning part形符xíngfú

門門méngate

Sound part声符shēngfú

甲

甲jiǎ閘zhá

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 閘 pairs 門 (gate) with 甲, which gives the sound; the simplified 闸 is not the form described here.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.