滤
Character Story & Explanation
滤 is widely used in contemporary China — from household water purifiers labeled '净水滤芯' (jìngshuǐ lǜxīn, 'water purification filter element') to tech terms like '图像滤镜' (túxiàng lǜjìng, 'image filter') in apps such as WeChat and Meitu. It appears in official documents like the Ministry of Ecology and Environment’s air quality reports mentioning 'PM2.5滤膜采样' (PM2.5 filter-membrane sampling). A common phrase is '过滤信息' (guòlǜ xìnxī, 'to filter information'), frequently discussed in digital literacy education.
The character is a phono-semantic compound (形声字), first attested in the Kangxi Dictionary (1716). Its right side 虑 (lǜ) serves as the phonetic component and carries the semantic nuance of 'careful selection'; the left 氵 confirms its association with liquid-based separation. No oracle bone or bronze script form survives — it emerged later in clerical script during the Han dynasty as filtration technology advanced.
Hi students! Let’s explore 滤 (lǜ), a Level 6 HSK character meaning 'to strain' or 'to filter'. It’s not about filtering social media posts — it’s the physical, scientific, or everyday action of separating unwanted elements from a mixture using a barrier, like water through a coffee filter or air through an AC filter. The left side 氵 (three-dot water radical) tells us it relates to liquids or flow — very helpful for guessing meaning!
This character appears in modern technical and daily contexts: water purifiers, software filters, and even metaphorical uses like 'filtering information'. Though it looks complex with 13 strokes, notice its structure: water radical + 虑 (lǜ, 'to consider') on the right — a phonetic-semantic compound where 虑 hints both sound and subtle meaning ('careful selection', like straining thoughtfully).
Don’t confuse 滤 with similar-sounding or -looking characters. Its pronunciation is lǜ (fourth tone, sharp and falling), never lú or lǔ. Practice writing it stroke by stroke: start with the three water dots, then build the right side carefully — especially the 'tiger' component (虍) inside 虑. Repetition and real-life usage (e.g., reading appliance manuals or environmental reports) will make it stick!
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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