兽医院 (shòu yī yuàn) — veterinary hospital, animal hospital

Definition

noun
veterinary hospitalanimal hospital
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • ，兽医院。
    Wǒ de māo shēng bìng le, wǒ dài tā qù shòu yī yuàn.
    My cat is sick, I'm taking it to the animal hospital.
  • 兽医院。
    Zhè jiā shòu yī yuàn de yī shēng hěn yǒu jīng yàn.
    The doctors at this veterinary hospital are very experienced.
  • 兽医院，。
    shòu yī yuàn Zài jiē jiǎo, zǒu lù wǔ fēn zhōng jiù dào.
    The animal hospital is at the street corner, a five-minute walk away.

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.

兽医veterinary
兽shòuanimal医yīmedicine
偏正Modifier + head
院yuàninstitution

兽 (animal), 医 (medicine), and 院 (institution): a hospital for treating animals.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 獸; 兽 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 獸 combines 單 (hunting weapon) and 犬 (dog) to show hunting; the simplified 兽 is a shorthand.

Open 兽 →

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 醫; 医 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
酉酉yǒuliquor
Sound part声符shēngfú
殹
殹yì醫yī
Same sound today

The traditional form 醫 pairs 酉 (liquor) with 殹 as a sound part; the simplified 医 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 医 →

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
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
完
完wán院yuàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

院 is built from 阝, written in full as 阜, and 完, which gives the sound.

Open 院 →

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