负荷 (fù hè) — (electrical) load; charge; (figurative) burden; load (of work, responsibility, etc.)

Definition

负荷 is a formal/technical noun for 'load' or 'burden' — used in engineering (electrical load) and for heavy workloads or psychological pressure. More written than 负担, which is the everyday word for 'burden'.

noun
(electrical) loadcharge(figurative) burdenload (of work, responsibility, etc.)
Measure word · 个
Easily confused

Examples

  • 负荷。
    Zhè tái biàn yā qì de fù hè bù néng chāo guò é dìng zhí.
    The load on this transformer must not exceed the rated value.
  • 负荷，。
    Zuì jìn gōng zuò fù hè tài dà, wǒ měi tiān dōu hěn lèi.
    The workload has been too heavy recently; I'm tired every day.
  • 负荷，。
    Tā chéng shòu zhe jù dà de xīn lǐ fù hè, xū yào zhǎo rén liáo liáo.
    He is under a huge psychological burden and needs someone to talk to.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

负fùcarry/burden
荷hébear/carry

负 and 荷 both mean carrying or bearing, together giving the sense of load or burden.

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 負; 负 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 負 combines 人 (person) and 貝 (cowry), with 人 written as ⺈; the simplified 负 is a later abbreviation.

Open 负 →

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
艸艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
何
何hé荷hé
Same sound today

荷 has 艸, the grass/plant form, to show a plant, and 何 to give the sound.

Open 荷 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsEnergy & Power

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