沸水 (fèi shuǐ) — boiling water

Definition

noun
boiling water
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，沸水。
    Qǐng xiǎo xīn, zhè bēi fèi shuǐ hěn tàng.
    Please be careful, this cup of boiling water is very hot.
  • 沸水。
    Tā yòng fèi shuǐ pào le yì bēi chá.
    He used boiling water to make a cup of tea.
  • 沸水，。
    Bǎ fèi shuǐ dào jìn guō lǐ, rán hòu fàng miàn tiáo.
    Pour the boiling water into the pot, then add the noodles.

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.

沸fèiboiling
水shuǐwater

沸 means boiling and 水 means water, so together they mean water that is boiling.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
弗
弗fú沸fèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

沸 pairs 氵, the water part, with 弗, which gives it its sound.

Open 沸 →

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 →

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