试管婴儿 (shì guǎn yīng ér) — test-tube baby (baby conceived through in vitro fertilization)

Definition

noun
test-tube baby (baby conceived through in vitro fertilization)

Examples

  • 试管婴儿。
    Tā shì tōng guò shì guǎn yīng ér jì shù chū shēng de.
    She was born through test-tube baby technology.
  • 试管婴儿。
    Xiàn zài yuè lái yuè duō de fū fù xuǎn zé shì guǎn yīng ér.
    Now more and more couples choose test-tube babies.
  • 试管婴儿。
    shì guǎn yīng ér De chū xiàn gěi bú yùn jiā tíng dài lái le xī wàng.
    The emergence of test-tube babies brings hope to infertile families.

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.

试管test tube
试shìtest管guǎntube
偏正Modifier + head
婴儿baby
婴yīnginfant儿érchild
联合Side by side

试 and 管 form test tube, while 婴 and 儿 form baby, giving a baby conceived in a test tube.

Characters in this word

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 試; 试 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
式
式shì試shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 試 puts 言 beside 式, and 式 gives the sound; the simplified 试 is the form of this character.

Open 试 →

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
官
官guān管guǎn
Same sound today

管 has 竹 (bamboo) on top to show it relates to bamboo, and 官 gives its sound.

Open 管 →

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 嬰; 婴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèi
Sound part声符shēngfú
癭
癭yǐng嬰yīng
Same sound today

The traditional form 嬰 pairs 貝, carrying the meaning, with 癭 for the sound; the simplified 婴 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 婴 →

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

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →

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