砷 (shēn) · arsenic (chemical element, As)

Meanings

1 arsenic (chemical element, As)

Characters

砷

shēn

arsenic

Examples

HSK 6

砷是一种有毒的化学元素。

Shēn shì yì zhǒng yǒudú de huàxué yuánsù.

Arsenic is a toxic chemical element.

HSK 7-9

水中砷含量超标了。

Shuǐzhōng shēn hánliàng chāobiāo le.

The arsenic content in the water has exceeded the standard.

Tips

memory

石 (stone) + 申 (to state) - the 'stone' radical indicates a mineral element. Arsenic is a metalloid found in rocks.

Components

radical

石 shí

stone; rock

石 (stone) is the indexing radical. Arsenic occurs naturally in mineral form (often as arsenopyrite), so chemistry naming gave it the stone radical to mark it as a metalloid mineral. Compare 硫 (sulphur), 硼 (boron), 硅 (silicon) - same stone-flag system.

phonetic

申 shēn

state; explain; ninth earthly branch

申 (shēn) supplies the sound, unchanged - chosen to echo the first syllable of arsenic. Like 铪 (hafnium) and 氙 (xenon), modern Chinese element names pair the right radical with a phonetic that mimics the international name. Same phonetic gives 伸 (stretch), 神 (spirit), 绅 (sash).