研磨 (yán mó) — to grind (into powder); to polish, to abrade | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary/technical verb for grinding material into powder or polishing/abrading a surface, more formal than everyday 打 (grind).

verb

to grind (into powder)to polishto abrade

Examples

研磨。
Kā fēi dòu xū yào yán mó chéng fěn mò cái néng chōng pào.
Coffee beans need to be ground into powder before brewing.
研磨。
Gōng rén yòng shā zhǐ yán mó jīn shǔ biǎo miàn.
The workers use sandpaper to polish the metal surface.
研磨。
Zhè tái jī qì zhuān mén yòng lái yán mó yào cái.
This machine is specially used for grinding medicinal herbs.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

磨mópolish

'研' and '磨' both mean to grind or polish, so together they describe grinding.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

幵

幵jiān研yán

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 研, the left part 石 is a stone-related component, and the right part 幵 gives the sound.

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shírock

Sound part声符shēngfú

靡

靡mí磨mó

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

磨 combines 石, showing rock, with 靡 for the sound.

Appears in

Industry & Manufacturing

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