污泥 (wū ní) — sludge; mud; mire | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Refers to thick, wet waste residue (industrial sludge, sewage) — 污泥 emphasizes the polluted/industrial sense, while 泥 is plain mud on the ground.

noun

sludgemudmire

Examples

污泥。
Gōng chǎng pái chū de wū ní xū yào chǔ lǐ.
The sludge discharged from the factory needs to be treated.
污泥，。
Yǔ hòu lù shang quán shì wū ní, hěn nán zǒu.
After the rain, the road was all mud and very hard to walk on.
污泥。
Zhè zhǒng wū ní kě yǐ yòng lái zuò féi liào.
This kind of sludge can be used to make fertilizer.

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.

污泥 is 泥 'mud' made foul by 污 'dirty'.

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

于yú汙wū

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.

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

氵尼泥

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

尼

尼ní泥nì

Same sound today

The left side is 氵, the water part; the right side is 尼, which gives the sound.

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