混凝土 (hùn níng tǔ) — concrete (building material)

Definition

noun
concrete (building material)

Examples

  • 混凝土
    Gōng rén men zhèng zài jiāo zhù hùn níng tǔ.
    The workers are pouring concrete.
  • 混凝土
    Zhè zuò qiáo shì yòng hùn níng tǔ jiàn zào de.
    This bridge is built with concrete.
  • 混凝土
    hùn níng tǔ De qiáng dù xū yào cè shì.
    The strength of the concrete needs to be tested.

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.

混凝mixed and congealed
hùnmixníngcongeal
联合Coordinate
earth

Concrete as earth that is mixed and congealed: 混 and 凝 describe the process, 土 gives the material.

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
Written in full asshuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
kūnhùn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

混 pairs 氵 (water) on the left with 昆 on the right, which supplies the sound.

Open 混 →

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
Written in full asbīngice
Sound part声符shēngfú
níng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

凝 pairs 冫 (ice, also written 仌) with 疑, which gives the sound.

Open 凝 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 土 →

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