So if Chinese written language is picture characters, how do they write complicated words like “methyl hydroxy acetate”? “Methyl hydroxyacetate” is 羟基乙酸甲酯. While English uses these prefixes in organic chemistry, Chinese uses Celestial Stems （天干） instead: Now the translation of chemical terms: alkane （-ane） 烷 alkene （-ene） 烯 alkyne （-yne） 炔 acid 酸 carboxylic acid …
