酒精 (jiǔ jīng) — alcohol | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

酒精 refers to the chemical substance ethanol, used in disinfectants, fuel, and medicine — not the drink itself. For alcoholic beverages, use 酒 or 白酒.

noun

alcohol

Examples

酒精。
Yī yòng jiǔ jīng de nóng dù yì bān shì bǎi fēn zhī qī shí wǔ.
Medical alcohol is generally 75% concentration.
酒精。
Zhè zhǒng jiǔ jīng kě yǐ yòng lái zuò rán liào.
This kind of alcohol can be used as fuel.
酒精。
Yòng jiǔ jīng cā shì pí fū kě yǐ xiāo dú.
Using alcohol to wipe the skin can disinfect it.

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.

酒jiǔalcohol

精jīngessence

酒 points to alcohol, and 精 to its essence, giving the substance ethanol.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

酉

酉yǒu酒jiǔ

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酒 pairs 酉, the original picture for this word, with 水 (water), added later to distinguish it.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

米青精

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

青

青qīng精jīng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

精 pairs 米 (rice) with 青, which gives the sound; the character originally meant polished rice.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Alcohol & Tobacco Materials & Substances 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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