病秧子 (bìng yāng zǐ) — sickly person (colloquial, derogatory)

Definition

A colloquial, mildly derogatory term for someone who is sickly or always getting ill. Use with care — calling someone this to their face is rude.

noun

sickly person (colloquial, derogatory)

Measure word · 个

病秧子，。
Tā cóng xiǎo jiù shì gè bìng yāng zǐ, sān tiān liǎng tóu shēng bìng.
He has been a sickly person since childhood, getting sick every few days.
病秧子，。
Bié jiào tā bìng yāng zǐ, zhè yàng bù lǐ mào.
Don't call him a sickly person — that's impolite.
病秧子，。
Suī rán tā shì gè bìng yāng zǐ, dàn gōng zuò hěn nǔ lì.
Although he is a sickly person, he works very hard.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

病秧sickly seedling

病bìngsick秧yāngseedling

偏正Modifier + head

病 and 秧 suggest a sickly seedling, and 子 completes the colloquial term for a person.

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.

疒丙病

Meaning part形符xíngfú

疒疒nèsickness

Sound part声符shēngfú

丙

Same sound today

病 pairs 疒, a sickness mark, with 丙, which gives the sound; 丙 also means fire, giving a picture of lying feverishly in bed.

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

禾央秧

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hégrain; cereal

Sound part声符shēngfú

央

Same sound today

The left part 禾 is a grain plant, and the right part 央 supplies the pronunciation.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.