沙砾 (shā lì) — grains of sand; grit | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

grains of sandgrit

Easily confused

沙砾。
Hǎi tān shàng de shā lì bèi fēng chuī dé dào chù dōu shì.
The grains of sand on the beach were blown everywhere by the wind.
沙砾。
Dì zhì xué jiā yòng xiǎn wēi jìng guān chá zhè xiē shā lì de chéng fèn.
Geologists use microscopes to examine the composition of these grains of sand.
沙砾。
Hùn níng tǔ lǐ hùn hé le shuǐ ní hé shā lì.
The concrete is mixed with cement and grit.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

砾lìgravel

沙 and 砾 are parallel kinds of gritty particles, forming a single image of sand and gravel.

Characters in this word

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

沙 puts 少 (dots) beside 水 (water), showing sand on a shoreline.

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 礫; 砾 is its simplified writing.

石樂礫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

石石shístone

Sound part声符shēngfú

樂

樂lè礫lì

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

The traditional form 礫 pairs 石 (stone) with 樂 as a sound part; the simplified 砾 is a later shorthand.