碳酸钙 (tàn suān gài) — calcium carbonate

Definition

noun
calcium carbonate

Examples

  • 碳酸钙，。
    Yá gāo lǐ tōng cháng hán yǒu tàn suān gài, néng bāng zhù qīng jié yá chǐ.
    Toothpaste usually contains calcium carbonate, which helps clean teeth.
  • 碳酸钙。
    Dà lǐ shí de zhǔ yào chéng fèn jiù shì tàn suān gài.
    The main component of marble is calcium carbonate.
  • 碳酸钙。
    Shí yàn shì lǐ cháng yòng tàn suān gài lái zhì qǔ èr yǎng huà tàn.
    Calcium carbonate is commonly used in labs to produce carbon dioxide.

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.

碳酸carbonic acid
碳tàncarbon酸suānacid
偏正Modifier + head
钙gàicalcium

碳 and 酸 form 碳酸, the carbonate part, and 钙 adds calcium.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 石石shí{{qualifier|chemical nomenclature}} non-metal solid
  • 炭炭tàncharcoal

碳 pairs 石, marking a non-metal solid, with 炭 (charcoal), which gives the pronunciation.

Open 碳 →

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 钙 →

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