凝血酶 (níng xuè méi) — thrombin

Definition

Technical biochemistry/medical term: the enzyme (酶) in blood plasma that causes clotting. A compound noun — 凝血 (clotting) + 酶 (enzyme) — used in clinical and lab contexts.

noun
thrombin

Examples

  • 凝血酶。
    níng xuè méi Shì yì zhǒng néng cù jìn xuè yè níng gù de méi.
    Thrombin is an enzyme that promotes blood clotting.
  • 凝血酶。
    Yī shēng yòng níng xuè méi lái bāng zhù shāng kǒu zhǐ xuè.
    Doctors use thrombin to help stop bleeding from wounds.
  • 凝血酶。
    Zhè xiàng shí yàn xū yào jiǎn cè níng xuè méi de huó xìng.
    This experiment needs to test the activity of thrombin.

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.

凝血coagulate blood
凝níngcoagulate血xuèblood
动宾Verb + object
酶méienzyme

The senses of 凝 (coagulate) and 血 (blood) describe the 酶 (enzyme) that clots blood.

Characters in this word

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
冫Written in full as仌bīngice
Sound part声符shēngfú
疑
疑yí凝níng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

凝 pairs 冫 (ice, also written 仌) with 疑, which gives the sound.

Open 凝 →

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

  • 一一yīdrop of blood
  • 皿皿mǐncontainer

The shape shows 一, a drop of blood, inside 皿, a container, for blood held in a sacrificial vessel.

Open 血 →

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
酉酉yǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi酶méi
Same sound today

酶 combines 酉, the meaning part, with 每, the sound part.

Open 酶 →

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