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静脉 (jìng mài) — vein (blood vessel)

Definition

Vein — the blood vessel that carries blood back to the heart. Pair it with 动脉 ('artery'), which carries blood away from the heart; together they form the two main types of blood vessels.

noun
vein (blood vessel)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 静脉。
    Yī shēng yòng zhēn tóu zhǎo dào le wǒ de jìng mài.
    The doctor found my vein with the needle.
  • 静脉。
    jìng mài Zhù shè shì cháng jiàn de gěi yào fāng shì.
    Intravenous injection is a common way to administer medication.
  • 静脉。
    jìng mài Hé dòng mài de gōng néng wán quán bù tóng.
    Veins and arteries have completely different functions.

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.

静jìngquiet
脉màivessel

静 means quiet and 脉 a vessel, together the quiet blood vessel, a vein.

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 靜; 静 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 靜, not the simplified 静, uses 青 and 爭 for sound; an old source also treats 青 (blue) as a meaning part.

Open 静 →

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 脈; 脉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròuflesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂢
𠂢𠂢脈mài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 脈 pairs ⺼ (flesh) with a sound part, 𠂢; the simplified 脉 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 脉 →
Appears in
Organs & Anatomy

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