幼体 (yòu tǐ) — larva; the young (of animals); juvenile

Definition

A biology term for the early life stage of an animal — covers both 'larva' (insects, amphibians) and 'juvenile' (fish, marine life). More technical than 动物, and distinct from 幼虫 which is specific to insect larvae.

noun
larvathe young (of animals)juvenile
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 幼体。
    Zhè zhǒng kūn chóng de yòu tǐ shēng huó zài shuǐ zhōng.
    The larvae of this insect live in water.
  • 幼体。
    Kē xué jiā zhèng zài yán jiū yú lèi de yòu tǐ fā yù guò chéng.
    Scientists are studying the juvenile development process of fish.
  • 幼体。
    Hǎi yáng bǎo hù qū wèi xǔ duō hǎi yáng shēng wù de yòu tǐ tí gōng le bì hù suǒ.
    Marine protected areas provide shelter for the young of many marine organisms.

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.

幼yòuyoung
体tǐbody

幼 marks the early young stage, and 体 is the body or organism, so 幼体 is a juvenile form.

Characters in this word

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

幼 is built from 幺, shown as tiny, and 力, shown as strength. 幺 may also contribute the sound.

Open 幼 →

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 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
骨骨gǔbone
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ體tǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Open 体 →

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