胃肠 (wèi cháng) — stomach and intestines; gastrointestinal tract

Definition

noun

stomach and intestinesgastrointestinal tract

胃肠。
Tā zuì jìn wèi cháng bú tài hǎo.
Lately his stomach and intestines haven't been great.
胃肠。
Yī shēng jiàn yì tā jiǎn chá wèi cháng.
The doctor suggested he check his gastrointestinal tract.
胃肠。
Chī fàn bù guī lǜ huì yǐng xiǎng wèi cháng jiàn kāng.
Irregular eating habits affect gastrointestinal health.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

stomach and intestines together name the gastrointestinal tract.

Characters in this word

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

胃 originally drew a stomach with food inside, first as concentric circles and later with a grain-like mark in the middle.

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

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.

Appears in