音波 (yīn bō) — sound wave | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

sound wave

Examples

音波。
yīn bō Zài shuǐ zhōng chuán bō de sù dù bǐ zài kōng qì zhōng kuài.
Sound waves travel faster in water than in air.
音波。
Kē xué jiā yòng yí qì cè liáng le zhè cì bào zhà chǎn shēng de yīn bō.
Scientists used instruments to measure the sound waves produced by this explosion.
音波。
Biān fú lì yòng yīn bō lái dìng wèi liè wù.
Bats use sound waves to locate prey.

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.

音 gives sound, 波 gives wave, together naming a wave of sound.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

音 adds a short stroke that seals the mouth-like part, showing a covered or muffled sound rather than speech.

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

氵皮波

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

皮

皮pí波bō

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

The left side 氵 is water, and the right side 皮 gives the sound.

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