闸门 (zhá mén) — sluice gate; lock gate; (mechanical) throttle v…

Definition

noun

sluice gatelock gate(mechanical) throttle valve

Measure word · 扇

闸门。
Shuǐ diàn zhàn de zhá mén zhèng zài jiǎn xiū.
The sluice gate of the hydropower station is being repaired.
闸门，。
Gōng rén dǎ kāi le zhá mén, ràng shuǐ liú guò qù.
The workers opened the sluice gate to let the water flow through.
闸门。
Zhè ge zhá mén kòng zhì zhe guǎn dào de yā lì.
This throttle valve controls the pressure in the pipeline.

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.

闸 names the sluice or lock, and 门 is the gate that controls it.

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 閘; 闸 is its simplified writing.

門甲閘

Meaning part形符xíngfú

門門méngate

Sound part声符shēngfú

甲

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

The traditional form 閘 pairs 門 (gate) with 甲, which gives the sound; the simplified 闸 is not the form described here.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Appears in