怀胎 (huái tāi) — to be pregnant (process of gestation) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A literary/书面 word for 'to be pregnant,' emphasizing the period of gestation rather than the moment of conception. More formal than 怀孕.

verb

to be pregnant (process of gestation)

Examples

怀胎，。
Tā zhèng zài huái tāi, xū yào hǎo hǎo xiū xi.
She is pregnant and needs to rest well.
，。
Tā huái le shí gè yuè de tāi, zhōng yú shēng le yí gè jiàn kāng de hái zi.
She was pregnant for ten months and finally gave birth to a healthy child.
怀胎。
huái tāi Shì yí jiàn xīn kǔ dàn shì xìng fú de shì.
Being pregnant is a hard but happy thing.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

怀 means hold or carry, and 胎 means fetus; together they picture carrying a fetus.

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.

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

⺼Written in full as肉ròu

Sound part声符shēngfú

台

台tái胎tāi

Same sound today

胎 is formed from ⺼ (written in full as 肉) and 台, which gives the sound.

Appears in

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