处女膜 (chǔ nǚ mó) — hymen | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

hymen

Measure word · 片

Examples

处女膜。
Yī shēng jiǎn chá hòu fā xiàn tā de chǔ nǚ mó méi yǒu pò sǔn.
The doctor examined and found that her hymen was intact.
，处女膜。
Zài yì xiē chuán tǒng wén huà zhōng, chǔ nǚ mó de wán zhěng bèi shì wéi zhòng yào de xiàng zhēng.
In some traditional cultures, the intactness of the hymen is regarded as an important symbol.
处女膜。
Zhè ge shǒu shù kě yǐ xiū fù shòu sǔn de chǔ nǚ mó.
This surgery can repair a damaged hymen.

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.

处女virgin woman

处chùvirgin女nǚwoman

偏正Modifier + head

膜mómembrane

处女 means a virgin woman, and 膜 means membrane, giving the virgin membrane.

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

虍夂几處

Meaning part形符xíngfú

夂夂zhǐ

几几jǐtable

Sound part声符shēngfú

虍

虍hū處chǔ

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

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →

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

女 shows a woman with folded arms, kneeling or standing. In the modern form the figure faces right, and the small enclosed part is what is left of one arm.

Open 女 →

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

⺼Written in full as肉ròu

Sound part声符shēngfú

莫

莫mò膜mó

Same sound today

膜 combines ⺼ (written in full as 肉) with 莫, which gives the character its sound.

Open 膜 →

Appears in

Organs & Anatomy