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肿大 (zhǒng dà) — (verb) to swell, to enlarge; (noun) swelling, enlargement

Definition

A medical/formal term for swelling or enlargement of a body part or organ. More clinical than everyday words like 肿; commonly used in 肿大情况 ('swelling condition') in medical contexts.

verb
to swellto enlarge
noun
swellingenlargement

Examples

  • 肿大。
    Tā de jiǎo zhǒng dà le.
    His foot swelled up.
  • 肿大，。
    Wǒ de shǒu zhǒng dà le, hěn téng.
    My hand swelled up and it hurts a lot.
  • 肿大。
    Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de zhǒng dà qíng kuàng.
    The doctor examined his swelling condition.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

肿zhǒngswell
大dàlarge

'肿' describes swelling and '大' gives the result of becoming large, together meaning to swell or be enlarged.

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 腫; 肿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat, flesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng腫zhǒng
Same sound today

The traditional form 腫 combines 肉 (flesh) with 重 as a sound part; the simplified 肿 is a later shorthand.

Open 肿 →

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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