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青光眼 (qīng guāng yǎn) — glaucoma

Definition

A medical term for glaucoma, a serious eye disease that damages the optic nerve and can lead to blindness. It is a formal/clinical word — in everyday speech people usually just say 眼病 or 眼睛的病.

noun
glaucoma

Examples

  • 青光眼。
    Yī shēng shuō tā dé le qīng guāng yǎn.
    The doctor said he has glaucoma.
  • 青光眼。
    qīng guāng yǎn Huì dǎo zhì shì lì xià jiàng.
    Glaucoma can cause vision loss.
  • 青光眼。
    Dìng qī jiǎn chá yǎn jing kě yǐ yù fáng qīng guāng yǎn.
    Regular eye exams can prevent glaucoma.

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.

青光green light
青qīnggreen光guānglight
偏正Modifier + head
眼yǎneye

青 means green, 光 means light, and 眼 means eye; together they name an eye condition linked to green-looking light.

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.

An early form of 青 combined 生 and 井, both used for sound; the modern form has changed.

Open 青 →

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

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

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
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn眼yǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眼 combines 目, which is an eye, with 艮, which gives the character's sound.

Open 眼 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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