xiāo

朴硝

Word · Noun · VerbTraditional硝

nitre; to tan (leather)

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 2 examples
1.

noun

saltpeter; niter

technical

An older name for potassium nitrate, a key ingredient in gunpowder.

Xiāo硝
shì是
zhì制
zào造
hēi黑
huǒ火
yào药
de的
zhǔ主
yào要
chéng成
fèn分
zhī之
yī一
 。

Saltpeter is one of the main ingredients in making black powder.

2.

verb

to tan; to treat (leather) with alum

technical

Specifically refers to the process of tanning hides.

Zhè这
zhāng张
pí皮
zi子
xū需
yào要
hǎo好
hǎo好
xiāo硝
yī一
xià下
 。

This hide needs to be properly tanned.