黑色素 (hēi sè sù) — melanin (the pigment in skin, hair, and eyes)

Definition

Scientific term for melanin, the natural pigment that gives color to skin, hair, and eyes. Production increases with sun exposure, which is why skin tans.

noun
melanin (the pigment in skin, hair, and eyes)

Examples

  • 黑色素。
    Pí fū lǐ de hēi sè sù jué dìng le yí gè rén de fū sè.
    The melanin in the skin determines a person's skin color.
  • 黑色素。
    Yáng guāng huì cì jī hēi sè sù de shēng chéng.
    Sunlight stimulates the production of melanin.
  • 黑色素。
    Zhè zhǒng yào kě yǐ yì zhì hēi sè sù de hé chéng.
    This medicine can inhibit the synthesis of melanin.

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.

黑hēiblack
色素pigment
色sècolor素sùsubstance
偏正Modifier + head

黑 means black and 色素 means pigment, so 黑色素 is the black pigment of skin and hair.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 黑 seems to come from drawing a head marked with dots, usually read as facial tattoos.

Open 黑 →

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

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →

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

The shape of 素 came from a picture of hands braiding thread.

Open 素 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.