砾石 (lì shí) — gravel | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

gravel

Easily confused

砾石。
Zhè tiáo xiǎo lù pū mǎn le lì shí.
This path is paved with gravel.
砾石。
Gōng rén men bǎ lì shí yùn dào gōng dì shàng qù.
The workers transport the gravel to the construction site.
砾石。
Hé biān yǒu hěn duō lì shí.
There is a lot of gravel by the river.

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.

砾lìgravel

砾 and 石 together name loose small stones, giving the sense of gravel.

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 礫; 砾 is its simplified writing.

石樂礫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

石石shístone

Sound part声符shēngfú

樂

樂lè礫lì

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

The traditional form 礫 pairs 石 (stone) with 樂 as a sound part; the simplified 砾 is a later shorthand.

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.