镀 (dù): to plate (with metal)

Meanings

1 to plate (with metal)
2 to electroplate
3 to gild

Characters

镀

dù

to plate; to electroplate

Examples

这枚戒指是镀金的，不是纯金。

Zhè méi jièzhi shì dù jīn de, bùshì chúnjīn.

This ring is gold-plated, not solid gold.

工厂用电解法将铜镀到铁件上。

Gōngchǎng yòng diàn jiě fǎ jiāng tóng dù dào tiě jiàn shàng.

The factory uses electrolysis to plate copper onto iron components.

Tips

usage

镀金 (dù jīn) literally means gold-plating but is also used figuratively to mean gaining prestige through a prestigious foreign position or degree — 'gilding' one's reputation.

Components

radical

钅 jīn

metal; gold (left-side radical form of 金)

Left metal radical — the simplified side-form of 金. The indexing radical, marking 镀 as a metalwork verb: to plate or electroplate one metal over another. Same radical groups 镀 with 钢 (steel), 银 (silver), 铜 (copper), 铁 (iron), 锁 (lock), 锅 (pot) — virtually all metal-related vocabulary.

phonetic

度 dù

degree; measure (here phonetic)

Right 度 supplies the sound directly — dù matches the whole reading with no drift. 度 itself shows a hand measuring under a shelter. Same phonetic appears in 渡 (cross over, ferry), 镀 (this character) — both pivot on the dù sound. A faint semantic echo: plating requires precise measurement of thickness.