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脑膜炎 (nǎo mó yán) — meningitis

Definition

noun
meningitis

Examples

  • 脑膜炎，。
    Tā dé le nǎo mó yán, xū yào zhù yuàn zhì liáo.
    He got meningitis and needs to be hospitalized for treatment.
  • 脑膜炎。
    nǎo mó yán Shì yì zhǒng yán zhòng de jí bìng.
    Meningitis is a serious disease.
  • 脑膜炎。
    Xiǎo hái zi yīng gāi jiē zhòng nǎo mó yán yì miáo.
    Children should get vaccinated against meningitis.

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.

脑膜brain membrane
脑nǎobrain膜mómembrane
偏正Modifier + head
炎yáninflammation

脑膜 means brain membrane and 炎 means inflammation, so it is inflammation of the brain membrane.

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.

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 →

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

炎 places two 火 (fire) shapes vertically, one above the other, to show fire doubled.

Open 炎 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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