皮肤癌 (pí fū ái) — skin cancer | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

skin cancer

Examples

皮肤癌。
Cháng shí jiān shài tài yáng huì yǐn qǐ pí fū ái.
Long-term sunbathing can cause skin cancer.
皮肤癌。
Bì miǎn shài tài duō tài yáng kě yǐ yù fáng pí fū ái.
Avoiding too much sun exposure can prevent skin cancer.
皮肤癌，。
Tā dé le pí fū ái, zhèng zài jiē shòu zhì liáo.
He has skin cancer and is receiving treatment.

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.

皮肤skin

皮pískin肤fūskin

联合Coordinate

癌áicancer

The “皮肤” refers to skin and “癌” to cancer, together meaning cancer of the skin.

Characters in this word

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

皮 shows a hand pulling fur off an animal pelt, with the pelt drawn at the upper left.

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

肉肉ròuflesh

Sound part声符shēngfú

夫

夫fū肤fū

Same sound today

The shape of 肤 comes from 肉, flesh, plus 夫, 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.

疒嵒癌

Meaning part形符xíngfú

疒疒nèdisease

Sound part声符shēngfú

嵒

嵒yán癌

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

癌 combines 疒 (disease) with 嵒, a component used for its sound.

Appears in

Illness & Symptoms

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