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培育 (péi yù) — to cultivate (crops, plants, animals); to breed; to cultivate (talents, abilities, relationships); to nurture

Definition

培育 covers both literal 'cultivate/breed' (plants, animals) and figurative 'nurture' (talent, markets) — broader than 培养, which is mostly figurative. For pure animal breeding use 繁殖/养殖.

verb
to cultivate (crops, plants, animals)to breedto cultivate (talents, abilities, relationships)to nurture

Examples

  • 培育。
    Nóng mín men zhèng zài péi yù xīn de shuǐ dào pǐn zhǒng.
    Farmers are cultivating new rice varieties.
  • 培育。
    Xué xiào zhì lì yú péi yù xué shēng de chuàng xīn néng lì.
    The school is committed to cultivating students' innovative ability.
  • 培育。
    Gōng sī huā le shí nián péi yù zhè ge shì chǎng.
    The company spent ten years cultivating this market.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

培péitend
育yùraise

培 and 育 both concern tending and making things grow, giving the sense of breeding and nurturing.

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu培péi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

培 is made from 土 (earth) and 咅, which gives the sound.

Open 培 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 育 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Agriculture & Farming

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