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感染 (gǎn rǎn) — to infect (with a disease, pathogen, etc.); (figuratively) to affect, to influence (emotions, attitudes, etc.)

Definition

感染 has two senses: literally 'to infect' with a disease (close to 传染), and figuratively 'to affect/influence' emotions or attitudes (close to 影响, but usually an unconscious emotional sway).

verb
to infect (with a disease, pathogen, etc.)(figuratively) to affectto influence (emotions, attitudes, etc.)

Examples

  • 感染。
    Yī shēng shuō tā shǒu shàng de shāng kǒu bèi xì jūn gǎn rǎn le.
    The doctor said the wound on his hand was infected by bacteria.
  • 感染。
    Tā de lè guān jīng shén gǎn rǎn le zhōu wéi měi yí gè rén.
    Her optimism infected everyone around her.
  • ，感染。
    Zhè zhǒng bìng dú chuán bō hěn kuài, róng yì gǎn rǎn jiàn kāng rén.
    This virus spreads quickly and easily infects healthy people.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

感gǎncatch
染rǎncontract

感 and 染 both refer to catching or being affected by something, together naming infection.

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

感 pairs 咸, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, for feeling.

Open 感 →

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

染 combines 氵 (water), 九 (hook), and 木 (tree): something hung on a hook from a tree into water to dye it.

Open 染 →
Appears in
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