硼酸 (péng suān) — boric acid (chemical compound)

Definition

noun
boric acid (chemical compound)

Examples

  • 硼酸。
    Shí yàn shì lǐ xū yào yì píng péng suān.
    The lab needs a bottle of boric acid.
  • 硼酸。
    péng suān Cháng yòng yú zhì zuò shā chóng jì.
    Boric acid is often used to make insecticides.
  • 硼酸。
    Zhè zhǒng péng suān róng yè nóng dù hěn dī.
    This boric acid solution has a very low concentration.

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.

硼péngboron
酸suānacid

The 硼 'boron' forms the 酸 'acid' called boric acid.

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
朋
朋péng硼péng
Same sound today

硼 is built from 石 (stone) plus 朋, which gives its pronunciation.

Open 硼 →

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 →

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