淋巴 (lín bā) — lymph | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Medical/bio term for lymph — the fluid that circulates in the lymphatic system. Usually appears in compounds like 淋巴结 (lymph node) or 淋巴系统.

noun

lymph

Examples

淋巴。
Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de lín bā.
The doctor examined his lymph.
淋巴。
lín bā Xì tǒng bāng zhù shēn tǐ dǐ kàng gǎn rǎn.
The lymphatic system helps the body fight infection.
。
Tā de lín bā jié yǒu xiē zhǒng.
His lymph nodes are a bit swollen.

Origin

Single-morpheme word

构词法gòucífǎ

音译yīnyìTransliteration

The characters spell the sound of a foreign word; their individual meanings play no part.

淋巴 transliterates the foreign word for lymph; the characters carry no meaning of their own here.

Sound-only characters

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

氵林淋

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

林

林lín淋lín

Same sound today

The left side 氵 is water, and the right side 林 gives the character's sound.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

Organs & Anatomy

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