混凝土

• Pinyin: hùn níng tǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 混 = 氵+ 昆 (water radical + blend, murky/mixed); 凝 = 冫+ 疑 (ice radical + doubt/hesitate, suggesting the process of solidification/congealing); 土 = pictograph of earth/soil

Meaning

Concrete; a construction material made by mixing cement, sand, gravel, and water that hardens into a durable stone-like substance used extensively in building and infrastructure.

混凝土 is the standard technical term for concrete. Common collocations include 钢筋混凝土 (reinforced concrete), 预拌混凝土 (ready-mixed concrete), and 混凝土结构 (concrete structure). The quality and composition of 混凝土 is strictly regulated in Chinese construction standards. China's rapid urbanisation has made it one of the world's largest consumers of concrete.

Examples

1. 这座大桥的主体结构采用高强度钢筋混凝土浇筑而成，设计使用寿命可达一百年以上。 The main structure of this bridge was poured with high-strength reinforced concrete, and its designed service life can exceed a hundred years.
2. 施工队在浇筑混凝土时，必须严格控制水灰比，以确保最终成型的结构达到设计强度要求。 When pouring concrete, the construction crew must strictly control the water-to-cement ratio to ensure the finished structure meets the required design strength.
3. 城市的快速扩张使得混凝土建筑如雨后春笋般涌现，深刻改变了原本以农田和村落为主的地貌格局。 Rapid urban expansion has caused concrete buildings to spring up everywhere, profoundly reshaping a landscape that used to be dominated by farmland and villages.

Usage Guide

Context: construction, engineering, architecture, infrastructure

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 为了应对极端气候条件，工程师们专门研发了一种新型耐寒混凝土配方，使其能够在零下三十度的严酷环境中正常施工并达到标准强度。(To cope with extreme climatic conditions, engineers specially developed a new cold-resistant concrete formula enabling normal construction and standard-strength results in harsh environments as cold as minus 30 degrees.)
• 城市更新项目要求拆除旧有混凝土结构时，必须对废弃建筑材料进行分类处理，尽可能将其再生利用，以减少建筑垃圾对城市环境的负面影响。(Urban renewal projects require that when demolishing old concrete structures, discarded building materials must be sorted and processed for recycling wherever possible, to reduce the environmental impact of construction waste.)

Don't Say

• 混凝土 for cement alone — use 水泥 for cement; 混凝土 is the composite material made from cement, aggregate, and water, not a synonym for cement itself

Origin & History

混 (mix/blend) + 凝 (congeal/solidify) + 土 (earth/soil) — literally 'mixed solidified earth'; a descriptive compound capturing the process of mixing ingredients that congeal into a solid mass

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal