矿物油 (kuàng wù yóu) — mineral oil | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

mineral oil

Examples

矿物油。
Zhè zhǒng kuàng wù yóu kě yǐ yòng lái rùn huá jī qì.
This kind of mineral oil can be used to lubricate machinery.
矿物油。
Yǒu xiē huà zhuāng pǐn lǐ hán yǒu kuàng wù yóu.
Some cosmetics contain mineral oil.
矿物油。
kuàng wù yóu Shì cóng shí yóu zhōng tí liàn chū lái de.
Mineral oil is refined from petroleum.

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.

矿物mineral

矿kuàngmineral物wùthing

偏正Modifier + head

油yóuoil

矿物 names minerals, and 油 names oil, so the word means oil obtained from minerals.

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 礦; 矿 is its simplified writing.

石廣礦

Meaning part形符xíngfú

石石shístone

Sound part声符shēngfú

廣

廣guǎng礦kuàng

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

The traditional form 礦 shows 石, meaning stone, beside 廣, which gives the sound. The simplified 矿 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 矿 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

牛勿物

Meaning part形符xíngfú

牛牛niú

Sound part声符shēngfú

勿

勿wù物wù

Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Open 物 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.