血吸虫 (xuè xī chóng) — blood fluke

Definition

A blood fluke — a parasitic flatworm that infects humans through contact with contaminated water, causing schistosomiasis. Compound of 血 (blood) + 吸 (suck) + 虫 (worm/insect).

noun
blood fluke
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 血吸虫。
    Zhè zhǒng xuè xī chóng shēng huó zài shuǐ lǐ.
    This kind of blood fluke lives in water.
  • 血吸虫。
    xuè xī chóng Huì yǐn qǐ yì zhǒng yán zhòng de jí bìng.
    Blood flukes can cause a serious disease.
  • 血吸虫。
    Yī shēng kě yǐ bāng zhù zhì liáo xuè xī chóng gǎn rǎn.
    Doctors can help treat blood fluke infections.

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.

血xuèblood
吸虫sucking worm
吸xīsuck虫chóngworm
偏正Modifier + head

血 gives blood, and 吸虫 names a sucking worm, together describing a blood-sucking fluke.

Characters in this word

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

  • 一一yīdrop of blood
  • 皿皿mǐncontainer

The shape shows 一, a drop of blood, inside 皿, a container, for blood held in a sacrificial vessel.

Open 血 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
及
及jí吸xī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

吸 pairs 口 (mouth) with 及, which gives the sound and relates to grabbing, so the shape suggests grabbing through the mouth.

Open 吸 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蟲; 虫 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 蟲 is the one the reference discusses; 虫 is also a traditional character on its own.

Open 虫 →

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