砂岩 (shā yán) — sandstone

Definition

noun
sandstone
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 砂岩，。
    Zhè zhǒng shā yán de yán sè hěn tè bié, yǒu diǎn fā hóng.
    This kind of sandstone has a very special color, slightly reddish.
  • 砂岩。
    Gǔ dài hěn duō jiàn zhù dōu shì yòng shā yán jiàn zào de.
    Many ancient buildings were built with sandstone.
  • 砂岩。
    Wǒ men zài hé biān fā xiàn le yí kuài jù dà de shā yán.
    We found a huge piece of sandstone by the river.

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.

砂shāsand
岩yánrock

砂 (sand) names the grains, and 岩 (rock) names the stone, giving sandstone.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
少
沙shā砂shā
Same sound today

砂 pairs 石 (stone) with 少, whose full form is 沙, as its sound part. It was first a variant of 沙, which showed sand along a riverbank.

Open 砂 →

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 巖; 岩 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
嚴
嚴yán巖yán
Same sound today

The traditional form 巖 combines 山 (mountain) with 嚴, a part that gives the sound; the simplified 岩 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the original parts.

Open 岩 →

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