密度

• Pinyin: mì dù
• Hanzi breakdown: 密 = 宀 (roof/cover) + 必 (must, phonetic) — dense, compact; 度 = 广 (broad) + 廿 + 又 — degree, measure

Meaning

Density; the degree of compactness or concentration of something per unit of space, time, or quantity.

Used in scientific contexts (physics, chemistry) for mass per unit volume, and metaphorically for information density, population density, or the intensity of events within a given timeframe. 密度 is highly versatile and appears in academic, journalistic, and everyday registers.

Examples

1. 城市人口密度过高会导致交通拥堵、住房紧张以及公共资源分配不均等一系列社会问题。 Excessively high urban population density can lead to a range of social problems, including traffic congestion, housing shortages, and unequal distribution of public resources.
2. 这种新型合金的密度远低于传统钢铁，但其硬度和抗腐蚀性却丝毫不逊色，非常适合用于航空航天领域。 This new alloy has a much lower density than traditional steel, yet its hardness and corrosion resistance are just as strong, making it well suited for aerospace applications.
3. 这篇论文信息密度极高，每一个段落都包含大量数据和论证，需要读者高度集中注意力才能充分理解。 This paper has an extremely high information density; every paragraph is packed with data and arguments, and readers need intense focus to fully understand it.

Usage Guide

Context: science, urban planning, academia, engineering

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 研究人员发现，该地区土壤中重金属的密度已超过安全标准的数倍，必须尽快启动修复工程。(Researchers found that the density of heavy metals in the soil of this area had exceeded safety standards several times over, and remediation works must be initiated as soon as possible.)
• 优秀的教学设计在于把握内容的信息密度，既不能过于稀疏令学生感到无聊，也不能过于密集令其难以消化。(Excellent instructional design lies in managing the information density of content — neither so sparse as to bore students, nor so dense as to be indigestible.)

Don't Say

• 将'密度'用于描述纯粹定性的浓度或频率而不加量化语境 — 虽然有时可用于比喻，但该词本质偏向可测量的量化概念，纯粹的程度描述可用'程度''频率'或'浓度' (Avoid using 密度 for purely qualitative intensity without quantitative context — while metaphorical use is acceptable, the word is fundamentally a quantifiable concept; use 程度, 频率, or 浓度 for purely qualitative descriptions of degree or concentration)

Origin & History

密 = 宀 (roof) + 必 (must, phonetic) — dense, close; 度 = 广 (broad) + 廿 (twenty) + 又 (hand) — measure, degree. Together: the degree of closeness or concentration.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal