Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (气) is narrower and lighter, while the right component (羊) is wider and anchors the character's visual weight.
1. Meaning
oxygen (chemical element)
air (in specific scientific or medical contexts)
NounNeutral#science#chemistry#nature
Sample Usage
人体需要氧气才能生存。
rén tǐ xū yào yǎng qì cái néng shēng cún.
The human body needs oxygen to survive.
水是由氢和氧组成的。
shuǐ shì yóu qīng hé yǎng zǔ chéng de.
Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen.
2. Sound
/[jaŋ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
氧
yǎngyang3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=yǎng
Initial Consonant
y
Type: Palatal Glide (Zero Initial)
Sounds like: Zero initial (starts directly with the vowel/glide y-)
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Acts as a bridge into 'i' or 'ü' vowel sounds.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Flat tongue position transitioning smoothly into the nasal ending.
Final Rhyme
ang
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: ang rhymes with ah-ng
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low like an English voice dropping in disbelief before rising in question.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, yǎng changes to a 2nd tone (yáng).
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the 3rd tone dipping contour with the 4th tone sharp fall when speaking quickly.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Start mid-high, dip down low to your chest, and sweep back up into the air, mirroring a gentle checkmark motion.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (气) is narrower and lighter, while the right component (羊) is wider and anchors the character's visual weight.
4. Components
Radical气 · Air / Gas Radical (Vapor, breath, or gas)
Semantic Clue (形旁):气 (Indicates that this substance is a gas.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):羊 (original sound: yáng)
The gas radical (气) on the left pairs with the sheep (羊) on the right, phonetically hinting at 'yáng' while semantically classifying it as an invisible, life-giving gas.
气 Semantic clue for gas or air
羊 Phonetic clue providing the sound yǎng
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
25· Phonetic Root: 羊 (yáng)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Created during modern scientific translation efforts in China to name Western chemical elements, combining the 'gas' classifier with the phonetic element for sheep (yáng).
Semantic Evolution: Coined specifically for modern chemistry to represent the element Oxygen, maintaining its chemical definition ever since.
Invented in the 19th century when Western chemistry terminology was systematically translated into Chinese characters.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
dưỡng
The Sino-Vietnamese reading 'dưỡng' corresponds to the rising/inflected tone family.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ヨウ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
양
Sound Shift Bridge: Matches the modern scientific root system shared across East Asian terminology.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Imagine a fluffy white SHEEP (羊) standing in the open AIR (气), taking a deep breath of pure OXYGEN (氧).
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
样
yàngappearance, shapeUses tree radical (木) instead of gas (气) to mean type or pattern.
详
xiángdetailedUses speech radical (讠) instead of gas (气) to mean detailed or explicit.
洋
yángoceanUses water radical (氵) instead of gas (气) to mean vast ocean.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
样(yàng)
Look at the left side: 氧 has the gas radical (气) for oxygen, while 样 has the wood radical (木) for physical shape/style.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
人类和动物每时每刻都需要呼吸[___]。
Clue: yǎng qì
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the left radical 气 with 水 or confusing it with its lookalike 样.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 氧 mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the Chinese character for 'oxygen' using the gas radical and sheep component?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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氧yǎngoxygen
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