切线

切線
qiēxiàn
noun #55,810

Measure Word

一条切线 tiáo

Meanings

  1. 1 tangent line (geometry: a line that touches a curve at exactly one point)

Examples

Qǐng huà chū zhè tiáo qūxiàn zài gāi diǎn de qiēxiàn.
Please draw the tangent line to this curve at that point.
Qiēxiàn de xiélǜ děngyú gāi diǎn de dǎoshù.
The slope of the tangent line equals the derivative at that point.

Tips

mistakes
Don't confuse 切线 qiēxiàn (tangent line, geometry) with 切线 qièxiàn (less common, 'cutting line') or with the trig function (zhèngqiē, tangent of an angle). In maths class you'll mostly hear it as qiēxiàn — first tone — meaning a line that just touches the curve.

Stroke Order

qiē
线 xiàn