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再造 (zài zào) — to give a new lease on life; to regenerate; to rebuild; to reconstruct (e.g., tissue, organ)

Definition

Literary/formal verb meaning to give a new lease on life or to reconstruct (e.g., an organ). Most common in medical contexts and in the set phrase 再造之恩 (a debt of gratitude for saving one's life).

verb
to give a new lease on lifeto regenerateto rebuildto reconstruct (e.g., tissue, organ)

Examples

  • ，再造。
    Jīng guò cháng qī zhì liáo, tā zài zào de jī huì fēi cháng dà.
    After long-term treatment, his chance of being given a new lease on life is very high.
  • 再造。
    Yī shēng chéng gōng wèi tā jìn xíng le gān zàng zài zào shǒu shù.
    The doctor successfully performed a liver reconstruction surgery for him.
  • 再造。
    Tā de zài zào zhī ēn ràng wǒ yǒng yuǎn míng jì zài xīn.
    His grace of giving me a new lease on life I will always remember in my heart.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

再zàiagain
造zàomake

再造 combines 再 (again) and 造 (make/build), so the making is repeated, giving something new life or rebuilding it.

Characters in this word

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

Open 再 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòto walk
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
屮
屮chè造zào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Its origin is unclear, but early forms of 造 include 辵 (to walk) and 口, with 屮 as a sound part, and mean go or arrive.

Open 造 →
Appears in
Change & ProcessMedicine & Treatment

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