羊膜 (yáng mó) — amnion (membrane surrounding the fetus)

Definition

Technical term in embryology/obstetrics for the inner membrane of the fetal sac that holds the amniotic fluid. Learners will meet it in medical or biology contexts alongside related terms like 羊水 (amniotic fluid).

noun
amnion (membrane surrounding the fetus)
Measure word · 层

Examples

  • 羊膜。
    yáng mó Shì tāi ér fā yù chū qī xíng chéng de bó mó.
    The amnion is a thin membrane formed in early fetal development.
  • 羊膜，。
    Yáng shuǐ cún zài yú yáng mó zhōng, qǐ dào huǎn chōng zuò yòng.
    Amniotic fluid exists within the amnion and serves a cushioning function.
  • 羊膜。
    Yī shēng tōng guò chōu qǔ yáng mó zhōng de yè tǐ jìn xíng jiǎn cè.
    Doctors perform tests by extracting fluid from the amnion.

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.

羊yángsheep
膜mómembrane

羊 and 膜 combine the ideas of sheep and membrane to name the fetal membrane.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 羊 comes from a drawing of a ram's head.

Open 羊 →

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
⺼Written in full as肉ròu
Sound part声符shēngfú
莫
莫mò膜mó
Same sound today

膜 combines ⺼ (written in full as 肉) with 莫, which gives the character its sound.

Open 膜 →

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