露天矿 (lù tiān kuàng) — open-pit mine, opencast mine, strip mine

Definition

A type of surface mine where minerals are dug from an open pit rather than underground tunnels. As the term itself shows (露天 'open-air'), the pit is exposed to the surface.

noun
open-pit mineopencast minestrip mine
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 露天矿。
    Zhè ge lù tiān kuàng měi nián shēng chǎn dà liàng méi tàn.
    This open-pit mine produces a large amount of coal every year.
  • 露天矿。
    Zhèng fǔ zhèng zài píng gū lù tiān kuàng duì huán jìng de yǐng xiǎng.
    The government is assessing the open-pit mine's impact on the environment.
  • 露天矿。
    Gōng rén xū yào bǎ biǎo tǔ yí zǒu cái néng kāi cǎi lù tiān kuàng.
    Workers need to remove the topsoil before they can exploit the strip mine.

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.

露天open-air
露lùexpose天tiānsky
动宾Verb + object
矿kuàngmine

露 expose + 天 sky + 矿 mine describe a mine exposed to the sky.

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
雨雨yǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
路
路lù露lù
Same sound today

露 pairs 雨, a rain-related meaning part, with 路, a sound part.

Open 露 →

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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 礦; 矿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
廣
廣guǎng礦kuàng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 礦 shows 石, meaning stone, beside 廣, which gives the sound. The simplified 矿 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 矿 →

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