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活门 (huó mén) — (mechanical) valve; way out; solution (figurative); means of survival; lifeline (figurative)

Definition

A technical noun for a mechanical valve, used figuratively to mean 'way out' or 'lifeline'. Distinguish from the technical 阀门, which is the more common everyday term for a valve.

noun
(mechanical) valveway outsolution (figurative)means of survivallifeline (figurative)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 活门。
    Zhè ge jī qì shàng de huó mén xū yào xiū lǐ.
    The valve on this machine needs repair.
  • ，活门。
    Zài kùn nan de shí hou, tā zǒng néng zhǎo dào huó mén.
    In difficult times, he can always find a way out.
  • ，活门。
    Duì xǔ duō rén lái shuō, jiào yù shì gǎi biàn mìng yùn de huó mén.
    For many people, education is a means of changing their fate.

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.

活huómovable
门méngate

活 'movable' and 门 'gate' combine to mean a valve or movable gate.

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

活 is built from 氵 (water) and 𠯑, which shows the sound; 𠯑 later changed into 舌.

Open 活 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →
Appears in
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