溉

gài

既 + 氵

Definitions

gài (verb) to irrigate

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 既 represents the sound.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 既

About

溉 is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 氵 (water) on the left indicates the meaning, while the phonetic 既 on the right provides the sound. It refers to supplying water to land or soil for agricultural purposes, especially to support crop growth when rainfall is inadequate, typically by means of channels, ditches, or pipes. The character almost always appears in the compound 灌溉, which covers the entire process of agricultural irrigation and water management.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

农民灌溉农田。

Nóngmín guàngài nóngtián.

Farmers irrigate the farmland.

灌溉系统很重要。

Guàngài xìtǒng hěn zhòngyào.

The irrigation system is very important.

他们每天灌溉作物。

Tāmen měitiān guàngài zuòwù.

They irrigate the crops every day.

这片土地需要经常灌溉。

Zhè piàn tǔdì xūyào jīngcháng guàngài.

This piece of land needs frequent irrigation.

现代灌溉技术提高了产量。

Xiàndài guàngài jìshù tígāole chǎnliàng.

Modern irrigation technology has increased yield.

灌溉用水来自附近的河流。

Guàngài yòngshuǐ láizì fùjìn de héliú.

The water for irrigation comes from nearby rivers.

为了节约用水，他们改进了灌溉方法。

Wèile jiéyuē yòngshuǐ, tāmen gǎijìnle guàngài fāngfǎ.

To save water, they improved the irrigation methods.

在干旱地区，灌溉是农业生存的关键。

Zài gānhàn dìqū, guàngài shì nóngyè shēngcún de guānjiàn.

In arid regions, irrigation is key to agricultural survival.

Related Characters

Component: 既

Component: 氵

溉