臭氧 (chòu yǎng) — ozone

Definition

noun
ozone

Examples

  • 。
    chòu yǎng Céng néng bǎo hù dì qiú shàng de shēng wù.
    The ozone layer protects life on Earth.
  • 臭氧。
    Yǔ hòu de kōng qì lǐ yǒu dàn dàn de chòu yǎng wèi.
    There is a faint smell of ozone in the air after rain.
  • 臭氧。
    Zhè zhǒng jī qì néng chǎn shēng chòu yǎng lái xiāo dú.
    This machine can produce ozone to disinfect.

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.

臭chòustink
氧yǎngoxygen

臭氧 joins 臭 (stink) and 氧 (oxygen) to name the pungent-smelling form of oxygen.

Characters in this word

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

臭 combines 自 (nose) and 犬 (dog), referring to a dog's strong sense of smell; it originally meant 'to smell'.

Open 臭 →

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
气气qìgas
Sound part声符shēngfú
養
養yǎng氧yǎng
Same sound today

氧 pairs 气 (gas) with 養 (to nourish), and 養 gives the sound yǎng.

Open 氧 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.