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发育 (fā yù) — to develop (physically); to grow; to mature (including sexual maturity)

Definition

发育 (fāyù) means 'to develop' for living things — physical growth and sexual maturity (children, animals, bodies). Use 发展 for non-living things like society, technology, or a situation.

verb
to develop (physically)to growto mature (including sexual maturity)

Examples

  • 发育。
    Hái zi de shēn tǐ fā yù dé hěn kuài.
    The child's body is developing very quickly.
  • 发育。
    Zhè zhǒng yú zài wēn nuǎn de shuǐ lǐ fā yù dé gèng kuài.
    This kind of fish develops faster in warm water.
  • 发育。
    Tā jīn nián kāi shǐ fā yù le.
    She started going through puberty this year.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

发fāgrow
育yùmature

'发' means grow or develop, and '育' means nurture or mature; together they describe growth and maturing.

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 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 育 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Life Stages & Age

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