Chinese word

锈

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiù

Meaning

  • nounrust

Example

这把刀上有锈，要不要扔掉？zhè bǎ dāo shàng yǒu xiù yào bú yào rēng diào

There's rust on this knife. Should it be thrown away?

Illustration for 锈 (rust)

More examples

旧铁门上有很多锈，影响外观也可能影响强度。jiù tiě mén shàng yǒu hěn duō xiù yíng xiǎng wài guān yě kě néng yíng xiǎng qiáng dù

The old iron gate has a lot of rust, which affects its appearance and may also affect its strength.

Core concept

A dull, rough deposit that forms when metal is slowly eaten by air, water, or chemicals.

Common phrases

  • 铁锈tiě xiù

    iron rust

  • 锈迹xiù jì

    rust stain

  • 锈斑xiù bān

    rust spot

Similar words

铁锈tiě xiù: The reddish-brown corrosion found on iron.
锈迹xiù jì: A mark or stain remaining after rust has formed on a surface.
锈斑xiù bān: A small dot or patch of rust appearing on metal.

Definition in Chinese

金属表面因与空气、水或化学物质作用而产生的红褐色或黑色的腐蚀沉积物或斑点，也指金属因此失去光泽或被侵蚀的状态。jīn shú biǎo miàn yīn yǔ kōng qì shuǐ huò huà xué wù zhì zuò yòng ér chǎn shēng de hóng hè sè huò hēi sè de fǔ shí chén jī wù huò bān diǎn yě zhǐ jīn shǔ yīn cǐ shī qù guāng zé huò bèi qīn shí de zhuàng tài

Word origin

锈 (xiù, "rust") uses 钅 (jīn, "metal") + 秀 (xiù, "elegant"); 钅 signals the metal-related meaning, while 秀 preserves the sound xiù.

Usage tips

  • Chinese grammar can use this word in both a noun role and a verb role, so the surrounding words show whether it names a visible deposit or describes a change in the metal.

Other meanings

  • become rustyverb
  • rust stainnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 生锈shēng xiùbecome rustyverb
  • 锈蚀xiù shírust awayverb
  • 锈迹xiù jìrust marknoun

Word lists with this word