纤维素 (xiān wéi sù) — cellulose | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Cellulose — the main structural fiber in plant cell walls. The 素 suffix marks it as a chemical compound (like 蛋白质 'protein').

noun

cellulose

纤维素。
Zhè zhǒng zhí wù hán yǒu dà liàng xiān wéi sù.
This kind of plant contains a large amount of cellulose.
纤维素。
xiān wéi sù Shì xì bāo bì de zhǔ yào chéng fèn.
Cellulose is the main component of cell walls.
纤维素。
Wǒ men xū yào yán jiū xiān wéi sù de huà xué jié gòu.
We need to study the chemical structure of cellulose.

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.

纤维fiber

联合Side by side

素sùsubstance

'纤' and '维' together mean fiber, while '素' gives substance or element, naming cellulose/fibrin.

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 纖; 纤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìsilk

Sound part声符shēngfú

韱

韱xiān纖qiàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 纖 uses 糸 for silk and 韱 for the sound; the simplified 纤 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

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 維; 维 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìthread

Sound part声符shēngfú

唯

Same sound today

In the traditional form 維, 糸 marks a thread meaning and 唯 provides the sound; the simplified 维 is a later shortened shape.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 素 came from a picture of hands braiding thread.