粘液 (nián yè) — mucus | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

mucus

Examples

，粘液。
Gǎn mào de shí hou, bí zi lǐ huì yǒu hěn duō nián yè.
When you have a cold, there is a lot of mucus in the nose.
粘液。
Zhè zhǒng yào wù kě yǐ jiǎn shǎo wèi bù nián yè de fēn mì.
This medication can reduce the secretion of mucus in the stomach.
粘液。
Wō niú pá guò de dì fāng huì liú xià yī céng nián yè.
Snails leave a layer of mucus wherever they crawl.

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.

液yèliquid

粘 (sticky) and 液 (liquid) combine to mean a sticky bodily fluid.

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.

米占粘

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

占

占zhàn粘zhān

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

粘 pairs 米 (rice) with 占, which gives the sound. The 米 part is the rice in glutinous, sticky rice.

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

氵夜液

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

夜

夜yè液yè

Same sound today

The left side 氵 is water, and the right side 夜 gives the sound; together they form 液, a liquid, like water.

Appears in

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