阀 fá valve
valve; clique
How to remember 阀: 门 door + 伐 cut down = valve. Behind the garden door, dad wants to cut down the apple tree whose roots grip the water pipe, so first he shuts the valve.
Component breakdown
阀 = 门 door + 伐 cut down
- 门 door
- 伐 cut down
Behind the garden door, dad wants to cut down the apple tree whose roots grip the water pipe, so first he shuts the valve.
How it is used
- Two distinct jobs. Mechanical: 阀门 (fámén) a valve, 气阀 (qìfá) air valve, 安全阀 (ānquánfá) safety valve.
- Social: a powerful entrenched clique - 军阀 (jūnfá) warlord, 财阀 (cáifá) financial magnate/plutocrat, groups that monopolize power.
- Same character, unrelated senses; context (plumbing vs politics) tells them apart.