心电图 (xīn diàn tú) — electrocardiogram (ECG)

Definition

noun

electrocardiogram (ECG)

Measure word · 张

心电图。
Yī shēng jiàn yì tā zuò yí cì xīn diàn tú jiǎn chá.
The doctor advised him to have an ECG check.
心电图。
Zhè zhāng xīn diàn tú xiǎn shì tā de xīn tiào hěn guī lǜ.
This ECG shows his heartbeat is very regular.
心电图，。
Zuò wán xīn diàn tú hòu, hù shi bǎ bào gào jiāo gěi le yī shēng.
After the ECG, the nurse handed the report to the doctor.

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.

心电heart electricity

心xīnheart电diànelectricity

偏正Modifier + head

心 refers to the heart, 电 to electrical activity, and 图 to a chart, giving a chart of the heart's electrical activity.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

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 電; 电 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

雨雨yǔrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

申

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 電, 雨 (rain) sits with 申, read shēn and meaning lightning.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 圖; 图 is its simplified writing.

囗啚圖

The traditional form 圖 pairs 囗, a walled city, with 啚, an early form meaning remote areas or territory. The simplified 图 is a later abbreviation.

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