便秘 (biàn mì) — constipation | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

constipation

便秘。
Cháng qī biàn mì huì yǐng xiǎng shēn tǐ jiàn kāng.
Long-term constipation can affect physical health.
便秘。
Duō chī shū cài shuǐ guǒ kě yǐ huǎn jiě biàn mì.
Eating more vegetables and fruits can relieve constipation.
便秘。
Yī shēng jiàn yì tā duō hē shuǐ lái gǎi shàn biàn mì.
The doctor advised him to drink more water to improve constipation.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

秘mìblocked

便 refers to stool and 秘 to being blocked, so the word describes stool that is blocked.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

亻更便

便 pairs 亻 (person) with 更 (to change), showing a person changing posture to become comfortable.

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

禾必秘

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

必

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 必 part gives 秘 its sound. The 禾 side replaced an older ritual marker, linking it to secret rituals and arcane meaning.

Appears in