生态 (shēng tài) — ecology | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Refers to the ecological system or environment — how living things relate to each other and their surroundings. In modern Chinese it is widely used in discussions of environmental protection and sustainable development (e.g., 生态环境).

noun

ecology

Examples

生态。
Wǒ men yào bǎo hù shēng tài huán jìng.
We need to protect the ecological environment.
生态。
Tā yán jiū hǎi yáng shēng tài.
He studies marine ecology.
生态。
Fā zhǎn jīng jì de tóng shí yào zhù yì shēng tài.
While developing the economy, we must pay attention to ecology.

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.

态tàicondition

生 (life) and 态 (condition) combine to mean the condition of life.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

屮屮chèbud
一一yīground

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

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

太心态

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

太

太tài态tài

Same sound today

态 is made of 太, which gives the sound, and 心 (heart).

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Environment & Ecology

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