氦

hài
亥 + 气

Definitions

hài helium (chemistry)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 气 represents the meaning and 亥 represents the sound.

Semantic: 气 Phonetic: 亥

About

氦 is a modern phonosemantic compound designed for the chemical element helium, a colorless, odorless noble gas. It follows the pattern used for gases in the Chinese periodic table: the radical 气 (qì) 'gas' encloses the top and right of the character, indicating the gaseous state, while the inner component 亥 (hài) serves purely as a phonetic element. The pronunciation of 亥 (hài) was chosen to match the first syllable of the English word 'helium'. Created for scientific nomenclature, this character has no historical literary usage.

Example Sentences Hide

气球里充满了氦气。

Qìqiú lǐ chōngmǎnle hàiqì.

The balloon is filled with helium.

氦是一种惰性气体。

Hài shì yī zhǒng duòxìng qìtǐ.

Helium is an inert gas.

他们用氦气填充飞艇。

Tāmen yòng hàiqì tiánchōng fēitǐng.

They use helium to fill airships.

氦气的密度比空气小很多。

Hàiqì de mìdù bǐ kōngqì xiǎo hěnduō.

The density of helium is much lower than that of air.

科学家在实验室中制备氦。

Kēxuéjiā zài shíyàn shì zhōng zhìbèi hài.

Scientists prepare helium in the laboratory.

氦原子核由两个质子和两个中子组成。

Hài yuánzǐhé yóu liǎng gè zhìzǐ hé liǎng gè zhōngzǐ zǔchéng.

The helium nucleus consists of two protons and two neutrons.

由于氦气不易燃，它被用于安全气囊。

Yóuyú hàiqì bù yìrán, tā bèi yòng yú ānquán qìnáng.

Because helium is non-flammable, it is used in airbags.

氦在宇宙中的丰度仅次于氢。

Hài zài yǔzhòu zhōng de fēngdù jǐn cì yú qīng.

The abundance of helium in the universe is second only to hydrogen.

Related Characters

Component: 亥

该 孩 刻 核 咳 骇 骸 劾 阂 颏 赅 垓 陔 該

Component: 气

汽 氧 氛 氢 氯 氨 氮 氖 氟 氲 氰 氤 氩 忾

Example Words

氦气 氦气球