盐分 (yán fēn) — salt content; salinity

Definition

noun

salt contentsalinity

盐分，。
Zhè zhǒng tǔ rǎng de yán fēn hěn gāo, bú shì hé zhǒng zhuāng jia.
The salt content of this soil is very high, not suitable for planting crops.
盐分。
Yī shēng jiàn yì tā kòng zhì yǐn shí zhōng de yán fēn shè rù.
The doctor advised him to control his salt intake in his diet.
盐分。
Hǎi shuǐ dàn huà kě yǐ jiàng dī yán fēn nóng dù.
Seawater desalination can reduce salt concentration.

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.

分fēncomponent

盐 and 分 combine to name the salt component contained in something.

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 鹽; 盐 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

鹵鹵lǔsalt

Sound part声符shēngfú

監

監jiān鹽yán

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

The traditional form 鹽 uses 鹵 to show salt and 監 for the sound; the simplified 盐 is a later shorthand.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

八刀分

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.