Chinese word

沉淀

Pronunciation

Pinyinchén diàn

Meaning

  • verbsettle

Example

牛奶放久了会上沉淀。niú nǎi fàng jiǔ le huì shàng chén diàn

Milk will settle when left for a long time.

Illustration for 沉淀 (settle)

More examples

加入沉淀剂后，溶质逐渐沉淀到试管底部。jiā rù chén diàn jì hòu róng zhì zhú jiàn chén diàn dào shì guǎn dǐ bù

After a precipitating agent is added, the solute gradually settles to the bottom of the test tube.

Core concept

Particles drop out of a liquid and gather into a layer at the bottom, leaving a settled deposit.

Common phrases

  • 使溶质沉淀shǐ róng zhì chén diàn

    cause a solute to precipitate

  • 沉淀在试管底部chén diàn zài shì guǎn dǐ bù

    settle at the bottom of a test tube

Similar words

沉降chén jiàng: A particle or substance moves downward through a liquid or gas under gravity or another force.
沉积chén jī: A substance accumulates at the bottom or on the ground after settling over time.
沉没chén mò: An object sinks completely below the surface of water or another liquid.
下沉xià chén: A part or object moves downward to a lower position.

Definition in Chinese

表示液体中固体颗粒向下沉并在容器底部聚集形成沉积的动作或过程，也可指该过程的发生。biǎo shì yè tǐ zhōng gù tǐ kē lì xiàng xià chén bìng zài róng qì dǐ bù jù jí xíng chéng chén jī de dòng zuò huò guò chéng yě kě zhǐ gāi guò chéng de fā shēng

Word origin

沉 (chén, "sink") + 淀 (diàn, "sediment") joins downward movement with material collected from water, creating a clear picture of particles sinking into a deposit.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the liquid often serves as the subject, so the sentence describes the natural settling process without naming anyone who causes it.

Other meanings

  • settlingnoun
  • sedimentnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 沉淀剂chén diàn jìprecipitating agentnoun

Word lists with this word