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大便 (dà biàn) — to defecate, to have a bowel movement

Definition

Although labeled as a verb, 大便 is also commonly used as a noun for 'feces/stool.' As a verb, pair it with 的时候 or a frequency to describe the act of defecating. In medical/formal contexts, prefer 排便.

verb
to defecateto have a bowel movement

Examples

  • 大便。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì wǒ měi tiān dà biàn yí cì.
    The doctor recommends I have a bowel movement once a day.
  • 大便？
    Nǐ dà biàn de shí hou jué de téng ma?
    Do you feel pain when you defecate?
  • 大便，。
    Bìng rén sān tiān méi yǒu dà biàn le, xū yào chī yào.
    The patient hasn't had a bowel movement in three days and needs to take medicine.

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.

大dàbig
便biànbowel movement

大便 combines 大 (big) and 便 (bowel movement), naming the act or its product.

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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

便 pairs 亻 (person) with 更 (to change), showing a person changing posture to become comfortable.

Open 便 →
Appears in
Hygiene & Grooming

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