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阴道 (yīn dào) — vagina

Definition

Medical term for the vagina, the canal in the female reproductive system. Used in formal, clinical, or anatomical contexts rather than casual speech.

noun
vagina

Examples

  • 阴道。
    Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de yīn dào.
    The doctor examined her vagina.
  • 阴道。
    yīn dào Shì nǚ xìng shēng zhí xì tǒng de yí bù fen.
    The vagina is part of the female reproductive system.
  • 阴道。
    yīn dào Gǎn rǎn xū yào jí shí zhì liáo.
    Vaginal infections need timely treatment.

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.

阴yīnyin/shaded
道dàoway

阴道 pairs 阴 yin/shaded and 道 way to name the hidden passage.

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 陰; 阴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
侌
侌yīn陰yīn
Same sound today

The traditional form 陰 combines 阜, the meaning part, with 侌, the sound part. The simplified 阴 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 阴 →

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →
Appears in
Organs & Anatomy

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