急性 (jí xìng) — acute (of disease, rapid onset) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

急性 means 'acute' in the medical sense — a sudden, short-term illness, contrasted with 慢性. Not interchangeable with 敏锐 or 灵敏, which describe sharpness of senses or mind.

adjective

acute (of disease, rapid onset)

Examples

急性，。
Tā dé le jí xìng bìng, bì xū mǎ shàng zhù yuàn.
He contracted an acute illness and must be hospitalized immediately.
急性，。
Yī shēng shuō zhè shì jí xìng zhèng zhuàng, xū yào jǐn jí chǔ lǐ.
The doctor said this is an acute symptom and needs urgent treatment.
急性。
jí xìng Lán wěi yán rú guǒ bù jí shí zhì liáo huì hěn wēi xiǎn.
Acute appendicitis can be dangerous if not treated promptly.

Origin

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

急性 combines 急 for rapid onset with 性 for the nature of that condition.

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

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

及

及jí急jí

Same sound today

急 pairs 心 (heart) with 及, which gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

忄生性

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

生

生shēng性xìng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

性 is built from 忄 (the heart) and 生 (a sound clue). The heart part connects the word to a person's inner nature or quality.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Illness & Symptoms

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