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激流 (jī liú) — torrent, rapids

Definition

noun
torrentrapids

Examples

  • 激流。
    Yì tiáo jī liú cóng shān shàng bēn téng ér xià.
    A torrent rushed down from the mountain.
  • 激流。
    Tā zài rén shēng de jī liú zhōng yǒng gǎn qián xíng.
    He bravely forges ahead in the torrents of life.
  • 激流，。
    Zhè duàn hé dào yǒu hěn duō jī liú, fēi cháng wēi xiǎn.
    This section of the river has many rapids and is very dangerous.

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.

激jīswift
流liúcurrent

激 describes the rushing force, and 流 is the current.

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
敫
敫jiǎo激jī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 激, the 氵 side marks water, and 敫 gives the sound jiǎo; the original sense is water swashing.

Open 激 →

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
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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