肠痉挛 (cháng jìng luán) — intestinal spasm; spasms of the intestines

Definition

noun
intestinal spasmspasms of the intestines

Examples

  • 肠痉挛。
    Tā yīn fù tòng bèi zhěn duàn wèi cháng jìng luán.
    He was diagnosed with intestinal spasms because of abdominal pain.
  • 肠痉挛,。
    cháng jìng luán Fā zuò shí, huàn zhě huì gǎn dào fù bù jù tòng.
    When intestinal spasms occur, the patient will feel severe abdominal pain.
  • 肠痉挛。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì yòng rè shuǐ dài huǎn jiě cháng jìng luán.
    The doctor suggested using a hot water bottle to relieve the intestinal spasms.

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.

肠chángintestine
痉挛spasm
痉jìngconvulsion挛luáncramp
联合Side by side

肠 is intestine, and 痉挛 combines 痉 (convulsion) and 挛 (cramp) to mean a sudden tightening; together it is an intestinal spasm.

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 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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 痉 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 挛 →

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