油枯 (yóu kū) — oil cake (agricultural byproduct after oil extraction, used as fertilizer or animal feed)

Definition

Solid residue left after pressing oil from seeds — used as fertilizer or animal feed, not the liquid oil itself.

noun
oil cake (agricultural byproduct after oil extraction, used as fertilizer or animal feed)
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 油枯。
    Nóng mín bǎ yóu kū sā zài tián lǐ dāng féi liào.
    Farmers spread oil cake in the fields as fertilizer.
  • 油枯，。
    Zhè zhǒng yóu kū hán yǒu hěn duō dàn bái zhì, kě yǐ wèi zhū.
    This kind of oil cake contains a lot of protein and can be fed to pigs.
  • 油枯，。
    Zhà yóu shèng xià de yóu kū bié rēng diào, néng dāng sì liào yòng.
    Don't throw away the oil cake left after pressing oil; it can be used as feed.

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.

油yóuoil
枯kūdried

油 names oil and 枯 names a dried state, together referring to the dried cake left after oil extraction.

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
由
由yóu油yóu
Same sound today

油 is built from 氵, a water part, and 由, which supplies the sound.

Open 油 →

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ枯kū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

枯 pairs 木 (tree) with 古, which gives the sound.

Open 枯 →

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