植物人 (zhí wù rén) — person in a vegetative state; vegetable (figura… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A medical term for a person in a vegetative state (literally 'plant-person'). The English slang 'vegetable' is considered offensive — prefer the literal translation in formal contexts.

noun

person in a vegetative statevegetable (figurative)

Measure word · 个

Examples

植物人。
Tā zài chē huò hòu biàn chéng le zhí wù rén.
He became a vegetable after a car accident.
植物人。
Zhào gù zhí wù rén xū yào hěn duō nài xīn.
Caring for a person in a vegetative state requires a lot of patience.
植物人。
Yī shēng shuō zhí wù rén sū xǐng de kě néng xìng hěn xiǎo.
The doctor said the possibility of the person in a vegetative state waking up is very small.

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.

植物plant

植zhígrow物wùthing

偏正Modifier + head

'植物' names plants and '人' names a person, so the word pictures someone as plant-like.

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.

木直植

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

直

直zhí植zhí

Same sound today

植 is made from 木, a tree, and 直, which gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

牛勿物

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

勿

勿wù物wù

Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Appears in

Illness & Symptoms

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