元素 meaning in English

yuánsù

element (key component of sth); (chemistry) element

HSK 6noun14 strokes

Meaning of 元素

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

yuánsù

element (key component of sth)
(chemistry) element
(math.) element (member of a set)

How to use 元素

元素 is used for chemical elements, members of a set in math, and more loosely for key features or ingredients of a design, story, or style. Example: 这部电影加入了很多中国元素。(Zhè bù diànyǐng jiārù le hěn duō Zhōngguó yuánsù.) This film includes many Chinese elements.

元 (yuán) means first or origin, and 素 (sù) means plain or basic. An element is the first, most basic stuff that something is built from.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 元素 (yuánsù) with 因素 (yīnsù). 元素 is a building block or feature, while 因素 is a factor that causes or influences a result, so say 重要因素 for an important factor, not 重要元素.

元素 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

很hěn有yǒu可kě能néng去qù掉diàoC元yuán素sù会huì得dé出chū同tóng样yàng的de结jié果guǒ。

It is highly probable that the deletion of element C will still yield the same result.

铁tiě和hé氧yǎng都dōu是shì化huà学xué元yuán素sù。

Iron and oxygen are elements.

即jí时shí策cè略lüè游yóu戏xì通tōng常cháng会huì融róng入rù街jiē机jī元yuán素sù。

Real-time strategy games usually include arcade elements.

氢qīng是shì最zuì轻qīng的de元yuán素sù。

Hydrogen is the lightest element.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

元 yuán · currency unit · 4 strokes

素 sù · raw silk · 10 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 元素.

美元	měiyuán	American dollar; US dollar
单元	dānyuán	unit (forming an entity); element
公元	gōngyuán	CE (Common Era); Christian Era
元旦	Yuándàn	New Year's Day
因素	yīnsù	element; factor
维生素	wéishēngsù	vitamin
要素	yàosù	essential factor; key constituent
素质	sùzhì	inner quality; basic essence
元首	yuánshǒu	head of state
抗生素	kàngshēngsù	antibiotic
素材	sùcái	source material (in literature and art)
素描	sùmiáo	sketch

Questions about 元素

What does 元素 mean?

元素 (yuánsù) means "element (key component of sth); (chemistry) element" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 元素?

元素 is made of 2 characters: 元 (4 strokes), 素 (10 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.

Is 元素 an HSK word?

Yes. 元素 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How do you say periodic table in Chinese?

The periodic table is 元素周期表 (yuánsù zhōuqībiǎo). Each chemical element also has its own single character name, such as 氧 (yǎng) for oxygen.

Can 元素 describe parts of fashion or art?

Yes. It is very common in design talk, for example 复古元素 (fùgǔ yuánsù), retro elements, or 流行元素 (liúxíng yuánsù), trendy elements.