手术钳 (shǒu shù qián) — surgical forceps or clamp

Definition

noun
surgical forceps or clamp
Measure word · 把

Examples

  • 手术钳。
    Yī shēng yòng shǒu shù qián jìn xíng shǒu shù.
    The doctor uses surgical forceps to perform the operation.
  • 。
    Zhè bǎ shǒu shù qián shì xiāo dú guò de.
    This surgical clamp has been sterilized.
  • 。
    Hù shi bǎ shǒu shù qián dì gěi yī shēng.
    The nurse handed the surgical forceps to the doctor.

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.

手术surgery
手shǒuhand术shùprocedure
偏正Modifier + head

钳 is the gripping tool used during 手术, so 手术钳 means surgical forceps or clamp.

Characters in this word

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

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →

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 術; 术 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíngstreet, path
Sound part声符shēngfú
朮
朮zhú術shù
Same sound today

The traditional form 術 has 行 (street, path) beside 朮, which gives the sound; the simplified 术 is a later shorthand.

Open 术 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 钳 →

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