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防毒面具 (fáng dú miàn jù) — gas mask; protective mask

Definition

noun
gas maskprotective mask
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，防毒面具。
    Jìn rù dú qì qū yù shí, bì xū pèi dài fáng dú miàn jù.
    You must wear a gas mask when entering a toxic gas area.
  • 防毒面具。
    Xiāo fáng yuán zài huǒ chǎng zhōng lí bù kāi fáng dú miàn jù.
    Firefighters can't do without protective masks in a fire scene.
  • 防毒面具。
    Zhè jiā huà gōng chǎng gěi měi wèi yuán gōng pèi fā le yí gè fáng dú miàn jù.
    This chemical plant distributed a gas mask to every employee.

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.

防毒prevent poison
防fángprevent毒dúpoison
动宾Verb + object
面具mask
面miànface具jùtool
偏正Modifier + head

防毒 says prevent poison, and 面具 says a face tool, so it is a mask that blocks poison.

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
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng防fáng
Same sound today

防 pairs 阝 (written fully as 阜) with 方, which gives the sound.

Open 防 →

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
屮屮chèvegetation
Sound part声符shēngfú
毐
毐ǎi毒dú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

毒 pairs 屮, a plant part, with 毐 as a sound part; this form was used for a poisonous plant.

Open 毒 →

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

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

具 pairs 廾 (two hands) with 鼎 (a cauldron), showing hands working with a cauldron to prepare food.

Open 具 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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