受精卵 (shòu jīng luǎn) — zygote | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

The fertilized egg, i.e. the single cell formed right after a sperm and egg fuse — the earliest stage of an embryo, before it implants and starts dividing.

noun

zygote

Examples

受精卵。
shòu jīng luǎn Shì jīng zǐ hé luǎn zǐ jié hé hòu xíng chéng de.
A zygote is formed after the fusion of sperm and egg.
受精卵。
shòu jīng luǎn Zài zǐ gōng nèi zhuó chuáng hòu kāi shǐ fēn liè.
After implantation in the uterus, the zygote begins to divide.
受精卵。
Kē xué jiā zài shí yàn shì lǐ chéng gōng péi yù le rén lèi shòu jīng luǎn.
Scientists successfully cultured a human zygote in the lab.

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.

受精fertilized

受shòureceive精jīngsperm

动宾Verb + object

受精 (fertilized) and 卵 (egg) form the cell made when sperm and egg unite.

Characters in this word

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

爪爪zhuǎhand
舟舟zhōuboat
又又yòuhand

受 possibly combines 爪 and 又 as hands with 舟 as a boat, to show handing something over.

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

米青精

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

青

青qīng精jīng

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

精 pairs 米 (rice) with 青, which gives the sound; the character originally meant polished rice.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

卵 comes from a picture of eggs or spawn.

Appears in

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