灌溉

guàngài

verb HSK 7-9 #21,728

Meanings

Both characters mean to water/irrigate — a reinforcing compound.

这片农田需要灌溉。

Zhè piàn nóngtián xūyào guàngài.

These farmlands need irrigation.

古代就有了灌溉系统。

Gǔdài jiù yǒule guàngài xìtǒng.

Irrigation systems already existed in ancient times.

农民用河水灌溉庄稼。

Nóngmín yòng héshuǐ guàngài zhuāngjia.

Farmers use river water to irrigate the crops.

history

China has a long history of irrigation engineering. The Dujiangyan (都江堰) irrigation system, built around 256 BC, is still in use today.

memory

Both 灌 and 溉 have the 氵(water) radical — irrigation is all about water.

灌 guàn

溉 gài