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绝缘 (jué yuán) — (electricity) to insulate; to be cut off from; to have no contact with

Definition

Literally 'cut off the source,' used both for electrical insulation and for being cut off from people or society. Closer to 断绝 ('sever ties') than to 隔离 (physical/separation) or 孤立 (made isolated by others).

verb
(electricity) to insulateto be cut off fromto have no contact with

Examples

  • 绝缘。
    Zhè zhǒng xiàng jiāo kě yǐ jué yuán diàn liú.
    This type of rubber can insulate electric current.
  • ，绝缘。
    Tā yīn wèi shēng bìng, jī hū yǔ shè huì jué yuán le.
    Because of his illness, he is almost cut off from society.
  • 绝缘。
    Tā jué dìng yǔ guò qù de shēng huó wán quán jué yuán.
    She decided to completely cut off contact with her past life.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

绝juécut off
缘yuáncontact

绝 means to cut off, and 缘 refers to contact or boundary, so together they mean to insulate or have no contact.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絕; 绝 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 絕, 刀 (knife) and 幺 (silk) show a knife cutting silk threads. The simplified 绝 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original picture.

Open 绝 →

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 緣; 缘 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
彖
彖tuàn緣⁰yuán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緣 puts 糸 (silk) beside 彖, which gives the sound; the simplified 缘 is a later abbreviation.

Open 缘 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Physics & Chemistry

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