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发烧 (fā shāo) — to have a fever; to run a temperature

Definition

发烧 (fāshāo) is the everyday verb 'to have a fever,' separable as 发∼烧 with a measure word or time phrase between (发一次烧, 发三天烧). For machines or objects getting hot, use 发热 instead.

verb
to have a feverto run a temperature

Examples

  • 发烧，。
    Tā jīn tiān fā shāo le, méi yǒu qù shàng bān.
    He has a fever today and didn't go to work.
  • 。
    Wǒ shàng ge xīng qī fā le yí cì shāo.
    I had a fever once last week.
  • ，。
    Tā fā le sān tiān shāo, xiàn zài hǎo duō le.
    He had a fever for three days and is much better now.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

发fāproduce
烧shāoheat

发 means produce and 烧 means heat or fever, so the word describes the body producing heat.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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 燒; 烧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo燒shāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 燒 pairs 火 (fire) with 堯, which supplies the sound; the simplified 烧 is a shorthand.

Open 烧 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3HSK 2.0 Level 3Illness & Symptoms

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