核糖核酸 (hé táng hé suān) — RNA; ribonucleic acid

Definition

noun
RNAribonucleic acid

Examples

  • 核糖核酸。
    hé táng hé suān Shì xì bāo zhōng fēi cháng zhòng yào de fēn zǐ.
    RNA is a very important molecule in cells.
  • 核糖核酸。
    Kē xué jiā zhèng zài yán jiū hé táng hé suān de jié gòu hé gōng néng.
    Scientists are studying the structure and function of RNA.
  • 核糖核酸，DNA。
    Zhè zhǒng bìng dú hán yǒu hé táng hé suān, ér bú shì DNA.
    This virus contains RNA, not DNA.

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.

核糖ribose
核hénucleus糖tángsugar
偏正Modifier + head
核酸nucleic acid
核hénucleus酸suānacid
偏正Modifier + head

核糖, from 核 nucleus and 糖 sugar, specifies the kind of 核酸, from 核 nucleus and 酸 acid, in ribonucleic acid.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
亥
亥hài核hé
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

核 pairs 木, a tree, with 亥 to give its sound; it originally named a kind of tree, and its later meanings are borrowed.

Open 核 →

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
唐
唐táng糖
Same sound today

糖 is made from 米 (rice) and 唐, which gives the sound táng.

Open 糖 →

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
亥
亥hài核hé
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

核 pairs 木, a tree, with 亥 to give its sound; it originally named a kind of tree, and its later meanings are borrowed.

Open 核 →

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
酉酉yǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
夋
夋qūn酸suān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酸 is built from 酉 and 夋, and 夋 gives the sound.

Open 酸 →

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