失语症 (shī yǔ zhèng) — aphasia (language disorder caused by brain damage)

Definition

noun
aphasia (language disorder caused by brain damage)

Examples

  • 失语症。
    Yī shēng zhěn duàn tā huàn le shī yǔ zhèng.
    The doctor diagnosed him with aphasia.
  • 失语症。
    shī yǔ zhèng Huàn zhě xū yào cháng qī de yǔ yán kāng fù xùn liàn.
    Patients with aphasia need long-term speech therapy.
  • 失语症。
    Zhòng fēng hòu tā chū xiàn le míng xiǎn de shī yǔ zhèng zhèng zhuàng.
    After his stroke, he showed obvious symptoms of aphasia.

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.

失语lose speech
失shīlose语yǔspeech
动宾Verb + object
症zhèngdisease

Losing speech, expressed by 失 and 语, names the disorder 症.

Characters in this word

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

The shape is explained as a fallen person's footprint surrounded by drops of blood; another reading pairs 手 (hand) and 乙 to show something falling from a hand.

Open 失 →

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 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
吾
吾wú語yǔ
Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Open 语 →

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
疒疒nèdisease
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng症zhèng
Same sound today

The left part 疒 shows it is about disease. The right part 正 is used for the sound.

Open 症 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.