怀孕期 (huái yùn jī) — pregnancy period, gestation period | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

The full period of pregnancy, from conception to birth, lasting roughly 40 weeks. As a fixed medical/health term, it differs from the shorter 孕期 (yùnqī), which is the more common everyday word for the same stretch.

noun

pregnancy periodgestation period

Examples

怀孕期。
Tā zài huái yùn jī lǐ tè bié zhù yì yǐn shí hé xiū xi.
She pays special attention to diet and rest during the pregnancy period.
怀孕期。
huái yùn jī Yì bān chí xù sì shí zhōu zuǒ yòu.
The pregnancy period usually lasts about forty weeks.
怀孕期。
Yī shēng jiàn yì zài huái yùn jī dìng qī zuò chǎn jiǎn.
Doctors recommend regular prenatal checkups during the pregnancy period.

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.

怀孕pregnant

怀huáicarry; be pregnant孕yùnpregnant

联合Side by side

期qīperiod

怀孕 means to be pregnant, and 期 is a period, giving the pregnancy period.

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 懷; 怀 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

褱

褱huái懷huái

Same sound today

The traditional form 懷 uses 心 (heart) to show longing and 褱 for the sound; the simplified 怀 is a later shorthand.

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

孕 is drawn as a pregnant woman with a fetus.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

其

其qí期qī

Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.

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