硝酸甘油 (xiāo suān gān yóu) — nitroglycerin

Definition

noun
nitroglycerin

Examples

  • 硝酸甘油，。
    Yī shēng gěi tā kāi le xiāo suān gān yóu, yòng lái zhì liáo xīn zàng bìng.
    The doctor prescribed him nitroglycerin to treat heart disease.
  • 硝酸甘油，。
    xiāo suān gān yóu Kě yǐ yòng lái zhì zào zhà yào, yě kě yǐ yòng lái zhì liáo xīn zàng bìng.
    Nitroglycerin can be used to make explosives and also to treat heart disease.
  • ，硝酸甘油。
    Tā xiōng kǒu téng, mǎ shàng fú yòng le xiāo suān gān yóu.
    He had chest pain and took nitroglycerin immediately.

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.

硝酸nitric acid
硝xiāonitrate酸suānacid
偏正Modifier + head
甘油glycerin
甘gānsweet油yóuoil
偏正Modifier + head

硝酸 names the nitric-acid part and 甘油 the glycerin part, giving the ester formed from them.

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
肖
肖xiào硝xiāo
Same sound today

硝 is built from 石, “stone,” and 肖, which provides the sound.

Open 硝 →

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
酉酉yǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
夋
夋qūn酸suān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酸 is built from 酉 and 夋, and 夋 gives the sound.

Open 酸 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

甘 originally drew an open mouth with something sweet inside it. This gives the sense of sweet or pleasant.

Open 甘 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
由
由yóu油yóu
Same sound today

油 is built from 氵, a water part, and 由, which supplies the sound.

Open 油 →

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