About
The character for "glue" or "rubber", now written as "胶", originates from its traditional form "膠", which structurally combines the semantic component "肉" (meat, flesh) with the phonetic component "翏". This composition directly reflects its earliest meaning, referring specifically to animal glue derived from boiled hides and bones. Over centuries, the character's application broadened semantically to encompass any viscous, adhesive substance, while its structural form was later simplified by replacing the complex phonetic element with the simpler and more suggestive "交", which implies joining or crossing. This shift in form coincided with an expansion in meaning to include modern synthetic adhesives and, by metaphorical extension, natural elastic substances like rubber, thereby transitioning from a specific organic product to a general category of sticky or pliable materials.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
妈妈买了新胶水。
请用胶带封箱子。
橡胶轮胎很耐用。
他吃了感冒胶囊。
旧相机需要胶卷。
胶合板用于做家具。
雨天穿胶鞋防滑。
这种物质呈胶状。