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厌食症 (yàn shí zhèng) — anorexia nervosa

Definition

noun
anorexia nervosa

Examples

  • 厌食症。
    Tā yīn wèi yā lì dà dé le yàn shí zhèng.
    She developed anorexia due to great stress.
  • 厌食症。
    yàn shí zhèng Huàn zhě xū yào jí shí zhì liáo.
    Anorexia patients need timely treatment.
  • 厌食症。
    Yī shēng zhěn duàn tā huàn yǒu yàn shí zhèng.
    The doctor diagnosed her with anorexia.

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.

厌食loathe eating
厌yànloathe食shíeat
动宾Verb + object
症zhèngdisease

厌食 means to loathe eating, and 症 names a disease, giving an eating aversion disorder.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 厭; 厌 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
厂厂chǎng
Sound part声符shēngfú
猒
猒yàn厭yàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 厭 combines 厂 as the meaning part with 猒 as the sound part; the simplified 厌 is a later abbreviation.

Open 厌 →

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

  • 亼亼jímouth
  • 皀皀jía bowl of rice on a stand

The form behind 食 shows 亼, a mouth, together with 皀, a bowl of rice on a stand. In modern 食, the bowl part has changed shape.

Open 食 →

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
疒疒nèdisease
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng症zhèng
Same sound today

The left part 疒 shows it is about disease. The right part 正 is used for the sound.

Open 症 →
Appears in
Mental HealthIllness & Symptoms

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