盐碱 (yán jiǎn) — saline-alkali (soil or land)

Definition

Refers to land or soil with high salt and alkali content, typically infertile and in need of treatment (e.g. 盐碱地, 盐碱土壤).

noun

saline-alkali (soil or land)

盐碱。
Zhè piàn yán jiǎn dì jīng guò gǎi liáng hòu kě yǐ zhòng zhí shuǐ dào.
After improvement, this saline-alkali land can be used to grow rice.
盐碱。
yán jiǎn Tǔ rǎng de zhì lǐ shì nóng yè fā zhǎn de guān jiàn.
The management of saline-alkali soil is key to agricultural development.
盐碱。
Zhè zhǒng zhí wù néng zài gāo yán jiǎn huán jìng zhōng shēng cún.
This plant can survive in high saline-alkali environments.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

盐 and 碱 both name soil substances, so together they describe land that is both salty and alkaline.

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.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

僉

僉qiān碱

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

碱 combines 石 (stone) with 僉, which gives the pronunciation. The 石 part points to stone.