TongTong
Sign in

速率 (sù lǜ) — speed; rate

Definition

A technical/formal term for 'speed' or 'rate' (e.g., reaction rate, data rate), more precise than everyday 速度, which is the general word for how fast something moves.

noun
speedrate

Examples

  • 速率。
    Zhè liàng chē de zuì gāo sù lǜ shì měi xiǎo shí èr bǎi gōng lǐ.
    The top speed of this car is 200 kilometers per hour.
  • 速率。
    Wǒ men cè liáng le fǎn yìng de sù lǜ.
    We measured the reaction rate.
  • 速率。
    Guāng de sù lǜ fēi cháng kuài.
    The speed of light is very fast.

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.

速sùspeed
率lǜrate

速 gives speed, and 率 gives rate, so the term denotes speed as a measured rate.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
束
束shù速sù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

速 pairs 辵, the walking part, with 束, which is used for its sound; the walking part fits the meaning of moving fast.

Open 速 →

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

率 was drawn as a bird-catching net, with a stick above and below. In the form described, the lower horizontal stroke is missing, so the whole shape represents a rope.

Open 率 →
Appears in
Units & Measurement

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