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自来水 (zì lái shuǐ) — tap water; running water (from a municipal supply)

Definition

Water piped into your home from the municipal supply — 'tap water / running water' as infrastructure, not a quality judgment. 饮用水 is the broader concept of water safe to drink.

noun
tap waterrunning water (from a municipal supply)

Examples

  • 自来水，？
    Zhè bēi zì lái shuǐ shì liáng de, kě yǐ hē ma?
    This glass of tap water is cold — can I drink it?
  • 自来水。
    Xīn xiǎo qū yǐ jīng tōng le zì lái shuǐ.
    The new residential area already has running water.
  • 自来水。
    Yòng zì lái shuǐ xǐ cài bǐ yòng jǐng shuǐ gān jìng.
    Washing vegetables with tap water is cleaner than with well water.

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.

自来comes by itself
自zìself来láicome
偏正Modifier + head
水shuǐwater

自来 means comes by itself, and 水 is water, so the whole is tap water.

Characters in this word

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Materials & Substances

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