Chinese word

铅

Pronunciation

Pinyinqiān

Meaning

  • nounlead

Example

这根旧水管有铅。zhè gēn jiù shuí guǎn yǒu qiān

This old water pipe contains lead.

Illustration for 铅 (lead)

More examples

许多传统焊料含有铅。xǔ duō chuán tǒng hàn liào hán yǒu qiān

Many traditional solders contain lead.

Core concept

A heavy metal whose hidden presence can make familiar old objects unsafe.

Common phrases

  • 铅管qiān guǎn

    lead pipe

  • 铅污染qiān wū rǎn

    lead pollution

  • 含铅的水hán qiān de shuǐ

    water containing lead

Similar words

金属jīn shǔ: A metal or alloy that conducts heat and electricity and often has a hard, shiny surface.
重金属zhòng jīn shǔ: A dense metal that often has toxic effects.
铅笔qiān bǐ: A writing tool with a graphite or similar core.

Definition in Chinese

一种有毒的重金属元素，化学符号为 Pb，长期接触或摄入可导致铅中毒，常见于某些旧制品与环境污染中。yì zhǒng yǒu dú de zhòng jīn shǔ yuán sù huà xué fú hào wèi Pb cháng qī jiē chù huò shè rù kě dǎo zhì qiān zhòng dú cháng jiàn yú mǒu xiē jiù zhì pǐn yǔ huán jìng wū rǎn zhōng

Word origin

The written form 铅 (qiān, "lead") comes from 鉛 (qiān, "lead") and keeps 钅 (jīn, "metal") as a visual clue that the word names a metal.

Usage tips

  • The chemical symbol Pb often appears beside this word in labels and science texts, so recognizing both forms connects spoken Chinese with written safety information.

Related words

  • 铅污染qiān wū rǎnlead pollutionnoun
  • 铅合金qiān hé jīnlead alloynoun
  • 铅矿qiān kuànglead orenoun

Word lists with this word