性交 (xìng jiāo) — (noun) sexual intercourse; (verb) to have sex | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal, clinical/medical term for sexual intercourse — used in writing, academic, and medical contexts. More neutral and less colloquial than everyday phrases like 做爱 or 同房.

noun

sexual intercourse

verb

to have sex

Examples

性交。
xìng jiāo Xíng wéi zài dà duō shù wén huà zhōng dū bèi shì wéi sī mì huà tí.
Sexual intercourse is considered a private topic in most cultures.
性交。
Yī xué shàng rèn wéi ān quán de xìng jiāo xū yào cǎi qǔ bǎo hù cuò shī.
Medically safe sexual intercourse requires taking protective measures.
性交。
Tā men cóng wèi fā shēng guò xìng jiāo guān xì.
They have never had a sexual relationship.

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.

交jiāointercourse

性 means sex and 交 means intercourse, so it names sexual intercourse.

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.

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.

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

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Appears in

Romance & Marriage

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