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脑髓 (nǎo suǐ) — brain tissue; brains (as a substance or organ matter)

Definition

脑髓 (nǎosuǐ) literally 'brain marrow' — a literary/formal term for brain tissue, often the organ matter itself rather than the whole organ 脑. Common in medical, cooking (e.g. 猪脑髓 pig brains), or literary writing.

noun
brain tissuebrains (as a substance or organ matter)

Examples

  • 脑髓。
    Kē xué jiā zhèng zài yán jiū nǎo suǐ de jié gòu.
    Scientists are studying the structure of brain tissue.
  • 脑髓。
    Zhè zhǒng jí bìng huì sǔn hài nǎo suǐ.
    This disease can damage brain tissue.
  • 脑髓。
    Tā chī huǒ guō shí diǎn le zhū nǎo suǐ.
    He ordered pig brains when eating hot pot.

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nǎobrain
髓suǐmarrow

The 脑 brain specifies the 髓 marrow, giving brain tissue.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 髓 →
Appears in
Organs & Anatomy

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