TongTong
Sign in

坏死 (huài sǐ) — necrosis (medical)

Definition

A medical term meaning 'necrosis' — the death of body tissue (cells, organs), usually from injury or disease. Verbless technical noun built from 坏 ('to break down') + 死 ('to die'); often pairs with 组织 or 细胞.

noun
necrosis (medical)

Examples

  • 坏死。
    Yī shēng pàn duàn bìng rén yǒu yán zhòng de gān xì bāo huài sǐ.
    The doctor diagnosed the patient with severe liver cell necrosis.
  • 坏死。
    Zhè zhǒng jí bìng huì dǎo zhì jú bù zǔ zhī huài sǐ.
    This disease can cause local tissue necrosis.
  • 坏死。
    Zǎo fā xiàn shì fáng zhǐ huài sǐ kuò sàn de guān jiàn.
    Early detection is key to preventing the spread of necrosis.

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.

坏huàidamaged
死sǐdead

坏 means damaged and 死 means dead, so it names tissue that has died and become damaged.

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 壞; 坏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
褱
褱huái壞huài
Same sound today

For the traditional form 壞, 土 (earth) is the meaning part and 褱 supplies the sound; earth is used because something that rots eventually becomes earth. This is about 壞, not the simplified 坏.

Open 坏 →

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
歹歹dǎi
Sound part声符shēngfú
尸
尸shī死sǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

死 is built from 歹 and 尸: 歹 is the part tied to the meaning, and 尸 gives the sound.

Open 死 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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