About
The character "碳" was created to specifically denote the chemical element carbon, constructed through the combination of the semantic radical "石", meaning stone, with the phonetic component "炭", meaning charcoal. This formation reflects the substance's natural occurrence in mineralized forms such as coal and graphite, while the phonetic element maintains an auditory connection to the earlier and more familiar concept of charcoal. Prior to its adoption, the term "炭" was commonly used in contexts involving carbonaceous materials, but with the systematic development of modern chemistry, the need for a precise lexical item led to the deliberate coinage of "碳" to isolate and define the elemental entity. Its structure, which remains uniform across writing systems, illustrates how the language integrates new knowledge by extending the semantic range of existing components through reasoned compositional principles.
Example Sentences Hide
碳是一种常见元素。
二氧化碳会导致温室效应。
我们要减少碳排放。
碳纤维材料很轻但坚固。
植物通过光合作用吸收二氧化碳。
碳足迹衡量个人对环境影响。
科学家研究碳循环以理解气候变化。
碳纳米管在材料科学中有广泛应用。