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石英 (shí yīng) — quartz (mineral)

Definition

noun
quartz (mineral)

Examples

  • 石英。
    Zhè kuài shí yīng shǒu biǎo zǒu dé hěn zhǔn.
    This quartz watch keeps very accurate time.
  • 石英。
    shí yīng Shì yì zhǒng hěn cháng jiàn de kuàng wù.
    Quartz is a very common mineral.
  • 石英。
    Shí yàn shì yòng shí yīng lái zhì zuò jīng mì yí qì.
    Laboratories use quartz to make precision instruments.

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.

石shístone
英yīngessence

石 marks a stone, and 英 suggests its clear essence, together naming quartz.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 石 shows a stone under a cliff-like overhang, or a cave set into a cliff side.

Open 石 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
央
央yāng英yīng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

英 pairs 艹 (grass) with 央, which gives the sound.

Open 英 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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