亚种 (yà zhǒng) — subspecies | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

subspecies

Measure word · 个

亚种。
Zhè zhǒng niǎo shì nà ge wù zhǒng de yí gè yà zhǒng.
This bird is a subspecies of that species.
亚种。
Kē xué jiā zài rè dài yǔ lín fā xiàn le yí gè xīn yà zhǒng.
Scientists discovered a new subspecies in the tropical rainforest.
亚种。
Zhè liǎng gè yà zhǒng de wài xíng fēi cháng xiāng sì.
The appearances of these two subspecies are very similar.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

亚 marks a lower or secondary rank, and 种 means species.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 亞; 亚 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 亞 likely shows an overhead view of a construction, perhaps a 亞-shaped tomb. Its later simplified form 亚 is just a shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

禾中种

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hérice

Sound part声符shēngfú

中

Same sound today

种 pairs 禾, which shows rice or grain and fits meanings like plant and seed, with 中, which gives its sound.