结肠炎 (jié cháng yán) — colitis

Definition

noun
colitis

Examples

  • 结肠炎。
    Yī shēng zhěn duàn tā dé le màn xìng jié cháng yán.
    The doctor diagnosed him with chronic colitis.
  • 结肠炎。
    Zhì liáo jié cháng yán xū yào tiáo zhěng yǐn shí xí guàn.
    Treating colitis requires adjusting dietary habits.
  • 结肠炎。
    jié cháng yán De zhèng zhuàng bāo kuò fù tòng hé fù xiè.
    The symptoms of colitis include abdominal pain and diarrhea.

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.

结肠colon
结jiéknot肠chángintestine
偏正Modifier + head
炎yáninflammation

结肠 names the large intestine, and 炎 means inflammation: colitis.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 結; 结 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
吉
吉jí結jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 結 pairs 糸 with 吉; 吉 gives the sound, and 糸 relates to the meaning. The simplified 结 is a later shorthand.

Open 结 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腸; 肠 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròubody
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng腸cháng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 腸 pairs 肉, the body, with 昜, which gives the sound; the simplified 肠 is a later shorthand.

Open 肠 →

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

炎 places two 火 (fire) shapes vertically, one above the other, to show fire doubled.

Open 炎 →

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