污染区 (wū rǎn qū) — contaminated area; polluted zone

Definition

noun

contaminated areapolluted zone

Measure word · 个

，污染区。
Huà gōng chǎng xiè lòu hòu, zhōu wéi bèi huà wéi wū rǎn qū.
After the chemical plant leak, the surrounding area was designated as a contaminated zone.
污染区。
Gōng zuò rén yuán bì xū chuān fáng hù fú cái néng jìn rù wū rǎn qū.
Workers must wear protective suits to enter the contaminated area.
污染区。
Zhè piàn wū rǎn qū de tǔ rǎng xū yào chè dǐ qīng lǐ.
The soil in this contaminated area needs thorough cleanup.

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.

污染contaminated

联合Side by side

The staining idea 污染 marks the place 区 as dirty or polluted.

Characters in this word

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 汙; 污 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

于

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

The traditional form 汙 pairs 水 (water) with 于 for the sound; the simplified 污 is a later shorthand.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

氵九木染

染 combines 氵 (water), 九 (hook), and 木 (tree): something hung on a hook from a tree into water to dye it.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 區; 区 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 區 is made from 匸 and 品; the simplified 区 is a shorthand.