风洞 (fēng dòng) — wind tunnel (engineering/aerodynamics facility)

Definition

A specialized engineering facility that generates controlled wind to test the aerodynamics of aircraft, cars, helmets, and similar objects. Not a natural tunnel — always a man-made lab or test chamber.

noun
wind tunnel (engineering/aerodynamics facility)
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 风洞。
    Gōng chéng shī yòng fēng dòng cè shì xīn fēi jī de xìng néng.
    Engineers use a wind tunnel to test the performance of new aircraft.
  • 风洞。
    Zhè ge fēng dòng kě yǐ mó nǐ měi xiǎo shí sān bǎi gōng lǐ de fēng sù.
    This wind tunnel can simulate wind speeds of 300 kilometers per hour.
  • 风洞。
    Sài chē tóu kuī de shè jì yě bì xū zài fēng dòng lǐ yàn zhèng.
    The design of racing helmets must also be verified in a wind tunnel.

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.

风fēngwind
洞dòngtunnel

风 gives wind and 洞 gives a tunnel, naming a wind tunnel.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
同
同tóng洞dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

洞 combines 水 (water) with 同, which gives the sound tóng.

Open 洞 →

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