咽喉炎 (yān hóu yán) — pharyngitis; sore throat (inflammation of the throat)

Definition

noun
pharyngitissore throat (inflammation of the throat)

Examples

  • 咽喉炎，。
    Tā zuì jìn dé le yān hóu yán, sǎng zi hěn téng.
    He recently got pharyngitis, and his throat is very sore.
  • 咽喉炎。
    yān hóu yán Duō yóu bìng dú huò xì jūn gǎn rǎn yǐn qǐ.
    Pharyngitis is often caused by viral or bacterial infection.
  • ，咽喉炎。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì wǒ duō xiū xi, zhì liáo yān hóu yán.
    The doctor advised me to rest more and treat the pharyngitis.

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.

咽喉throat
咽yànpharynx喉hóularynx
联合Side by side
炎yáninflammation

咽喉 names the throat and 炎 names inflammation, together describing inflammation of the throat.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
因
因yīn咽yàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 咽, 口 is mouth, showing it is connected to the mouth or throat; 因 gives the sound.

Open 咽 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
侯
侯hóu喉hóu
Same sound today

喉 combines 口, a mouth, with 侯, which gives its sound.

Open 喉 →

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

炎 places two 火 (fire) shapes vertically, one above the other, to show fire doubled.

Open 炎 →

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