硝酸银 (xiāo suān yín) — silver nitrate

Definition

noun
silver nitrate

Examples

  • 硝酸银。
    Shí yàn shì lǐ xū yào shǎo liàng xiāo suān yín lái zuò shí yàn.
    A small amount of silver nitrate is needed in the lab for experiments.
  • 硝酸银。
    xiāo suān yín Zài guāng zhào xià huì fēn jiě.
    Silver nitrate decomposes under light.
  • 硝酸银。
    Yī shēng yòng xiāo suān yín diǎn diào le tā de ròu zhì.
    The doctor used silver nitrate to remove his skin tag.

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xiāosaltpeter/nitrate酸suānacid
偏正Modifier + head
银yínsilver

The 硝酸 'nitric acid' combines with 银 'silver' to name silver nitrate.

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 →

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 銀; 银 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn銀yín
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 銀 has 金, meaning metal, and 艮, used for the sound; the simplified 银 is a shorthand.

Open 银 →

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