洪灾 (hóng zāi) — flood (disaster), flooding

Definition

noun
flood (disaster)flooding
Measure word · 场

Examples

  • 洪灾。
    Jīn nián xià tiān nán fāng dì qū fā shēng le yán zhòng de hóng zāi.
    A severe flood disaster occurred in the southern region this summer.
  • 洪灾。
    Zhèng fǔ zhèng zài nǔ lì bāng zhù hóng zāi dì qū de jū mín.
    The government is working hard to help residents in the flood-stricken areas.
  • 洪灾。
    Zhè chǎng hóng zāi dǎo zhì le xǔ duō fáng wū bèi huǐ.
    This flood disaster caused many houses to be destroyed.

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.

洪hóngflood
灾zāidisaster

洪 'flood' + 灾 'disaster' means a disaster caused by flooding.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
共
共gòng洪hóng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

洪 is built from 水 (water) and 共 (gòng), with 共 giving the sound.

Open 洪 →

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 災; 灾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡿧
𡿧𡿧災zāi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 災 combines 火 (fire) with 𡿧, an old picture of flowing water that supplied the sound; the simplified 灾 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 灾 →

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