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大小便 (dà xiǎo biàn) — feces and urine; (formal) the act of urinating and defecating

Definition

A formal/clinical noun for 'feces and urine' (the substances) or the act of urinating and defecating — almost only used in medical, caregiving, or hospital contexts, not in daily small talk.

noun
feces and urine(formal) the act of urinating and defecating

Examples

  • 大小便。
    Yī shēng wèn bìng rén dà xiǎo biàn shì fǒu zhèng cháng.
    The doctor asked the patient if his bowel and bladder movements are normal.
  • 大小便。
    Bìng rén xū yào jì lù měi tiān de dà xiǎo biàn cì shù.
    The patient needs to record the daily frequency of urination and defecation.
  • 大小便。
    dà xiǎo biàn Shī jìn shì lǎo nián rén cháng jiàn de wèn tí.
    Incontinence of urine and feces is a common problem for the elderly.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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

便 pairs 亻 (person) with 更 (to change), showing a person changing posture to become comfortable.

Open 便 →
Appears in
Hygiene & Grooming

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