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热水 (rè shuǐ) — hot water

Definition

noun
hot water

Examples

  • 热水。
    Dōng tiān hē yì bēi rè shuǐ hěn shū fu.
    Drinking a cup of hot water in winter is very comfortable.
  • 热水，。
    Qǐng bāng wǒ dǎo diǎn rè shuǐ, wǒ yào pào chá.
    Please pour some hot water for me; I want to make tea.
  • 热水。
    Yòng rè shuǐ xǐ shǒu bǐ lěng shuǐ gān jìng.
    Washing hands with hot water is cleaner than with cold water.

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.

热rèhot
水shuǐwater

“热” (hot) and “水” (water) combine to mean hot water.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 熱; 热 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
灬Written in full as火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì熱rè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 熱 pairs 埶 with 火 (written as 灬) to show heat, while 埶 gives a sound.

Open 热 →

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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