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采石场 (cǎi shí chǎng) — quarry

Definition

noun
quarry
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 采石场。
    Zhè ge cǎi shí chǎng yǐ jīng yǒu jǐ shí nián de lì shǐ le.
    This quarry has been in operation for decades.
  • 采石场，。
    Tā zài cǎi shí chǎng gōng zuò, měi tiān dōu yào bān yùn dà liàng shí tou.
    He works at a quarry and has to haul large amounts of stone every day.
  • ，采石场。
    Wèi le bǎo hù huán jìng, zhèng fǔ guān bì le nà zuò cǎi shí chǎng.
    The government closed that quarry to protect the environment.

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.

采石extract stone
采cǎiextract石shístone
动宾Verb + object
场chǎngplace

采石 means to extract stone and 场 means a place; together they name a place where stone is extracted.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 採; 采 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 采 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (采访, 采购) it is 採; in others it is 采.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
采
采cǎi採cǎi
Same sound today

The traditional form 採 combines 扌 (hand) with 采, which gives the sound and means to pick.

Open 采 →

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

The shape of 石 shows a stone under a cliff-like overhang, or a cave set into a cliff side.

Open 石 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →
Appears in
Industry & Manufacturing

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