矿脉 (kuàng mài) — mineral vein; lode

Definition

noun
mineral veinlode
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 矿脉。
    Dì zhì xué jiā zài zhè piàn shān qū fā xiàn le xīn de kuàng mài.
    Geologists discovered a new mineral vein in this mountain area.
  • 矿脉。
    Zhè tiáo kuàng mài hán yǒu fēng fù de jīn kuàng.
    This lode contains abundant gold ore.
  • 矿脉。
    Kāi cǎi kuàng mài xū yào xiān jìn de shè bèi hé jì shù.
    Mining a mineral vein requires advanced equipment and technology.

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kuàngmineral
脉màivein

矿 names mineral and 脉 names a vein, so the word pictures a vein of mineral in rock.

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.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 脈; 脉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròuflesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂢
𠂢𠂢脈mài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 脈 pairs ⺼ (flesh) with a sound part, 𠂢; the simplified 脉 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 脉 →

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