Meaning of 化石
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- fossil
How to use 化石
化石 is used for real fossils in science and museums, and also figuratively for an old-fashioned person or idea, like calling someone a dinosaur in English. Example: 博物馆里有很多恐龙化石。(Bówùguǎn lǐ yǒu hěn duō kǒnglóng huàshí.) The museum has many dinosaur fossils.
化 (huà) means to change or transform, and 石 (shí) means stone. A fossil is something that has changed into stone over a very long time.
Common mistake: Learners often read 化 with the wrong tone. It is fourth tone, huà, not huā like 花 (huā, flower), even though 花 contains 化 at the bottom. Also note 石 here is shí, not dàn, which is a rare reading used for a unit of measure.
化石 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
化 huà · to make into · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
石 shí · stone · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 化石.
| 石头 | shítou | stone |
| 变化 | biànhuà | (intransitive) to change; to vary; change; variation |
| 文化 | wénhuà | culture; civilization |
| 石油 | shíyóu | oil; petroleum |
| 现代化 | xiàndàihuà | modernization |
| 宝石 | bǎoshí | precious stone; gem |
| 消化 | xiāohuà | to digest (food); (fig.) to absorb (information etc); to assimilate; to process |
| 进化 | jìnhuà | to evolve (biologically, technologically etc); evolution |
| 转化 | zhuǎnhuà | to change; to turn; to convert; (genetics) to transform |
| 强化 | qiánghuà | to strengthen; to intensify |
| 化解 | huàjiě | to dissolve; to resolve (contradictions) |
| 绿化 | lǜhuà | to make green with plants; to reforest |
Questions about 化石
What does 化石 mean?
化石 (huàshí) means "fossil" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 化石?
化石 is made of 2 characters: 化 (4 strokes), 石 (5 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 化石 an HSK word?
Yes. 化石 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say fossil fuel in Chinese?
Fossil fuel is 化石燃料 (huàshí ránliào). Examples include 石油 (shíyóu, oil) and 煤 (méi, coal).
Can 化石 describe a person?
Yes. In casual speech, calling someone 活化石 (huó huàshí, living fossil) can mean they are very old-fashioned. The phrase is also used in biology for species that have barely changed for millions of years, such as the ginkgo tree.