脑积水 (nǎo jī shuǐ) — hydrocephalus

Definition

Medical term for 'hydrocephalus' — fluid buildup in the brain, literally 'brain + accumulated + water'. A clinical noun, not everyday vocabulary.

noun
hydrocephalus

Examples

  • 脑积水，。
    Yīng ér rú guǒ huàn shàng nǎo jī shuǐ, tóu bù huì míng xiǎn zēng dà.
    If an infant develops hydrocephalus, the head will visibly enlarge.
  • 脑积水。
    Yī shēng tōng guò shǒu shù lái zhì liáo nǎo jī shuǐ.
    Doctors treat hydrocephalus through surgery.
  • 脑积水。
    nǎo jī shuǐ Huàn zhě xū yào dìng qī jiǎn chá nǎo bù qíng kuàng.
    Patients with hydrocephalus need regular brain examinations.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

脑nǎobrain
积水accumulate water
积jīaccumulate水shuǐwater
动宾Verb + object

脑 points to the brain, and 积水 means accumulated water; together they name fluid buildup in the brain.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腦; 脑 is its simplified writing.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 巛巛chuānhair
  • 囟囟xìnhead; fontanel

In the traditional form 腦, the older part 匕 was replaced by a flesh part, while 巛 (hair) and 囟 (head; fontanel) stayed. The simplified 脑 is a later abbreviation.

Open 脑 →

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 積; 积 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
責
責zé積jī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 積 pairs 禾 (grain) with 責, which gives the sound; the simplified 积 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 积 →

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →

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