心脏 (xīn zàng) — heart (the organ) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

心脏 (xīnzàng) is the literal, medical word for the heart as a physical organ — unlike 心, which also means mind, emotions, or the figurative center of something. Use 心脏 when talking about health, the body, or biology.

noun

heart (the organ)

Measure word · 颗, 个

Examples

心脏。
Yī shēng zhèng zài jiǎn chá tā de xīn zàng.
The doctor is examining his heart.
心脏。
Zhè kē xīn zàng fēi cháng jiàn kāng.
This heart is very healthy.
心脏。
Zhè ge guǎng chǎng shì chéng shì de xīn zàng.
This square is the heart of the city.

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.

The 心 (heart) and 脏 (organ) combine to name the heart as a bodily organ.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

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 髒; 脏 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 脏 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (心脏) it is 臟; in others (脏) it is 髒.

骨葬髒

Meaning part形符xíngfú

骨骨gǔbone

Sound part声符shēngfú

葬

葬zàng髒zàng

Same sound today

The traditional form 髒 combines 骨 (bone) with 葬 (zàng) for the sound.

Appears in

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