扁桃腺 (biǎn táo xiàn) — tonsil

Definition

Everyday medical term for 'tonsil' used in casual speech and health contexts. The more clinical/formal word is 扁桃体 (used in medical writing and hospital settings).

noun
tonsil
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 扁桃腺，。
    Wǒ zuó wǎn biǎn táo xiàn fā yán le, téng dé shuì bù zháo.
    My tonsils got inflamed last night, and it hurt so much I couldn't sleep.
  • 扁桃腺，。
    Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de biǎn táo xiàn, shuō yǒu diǎn hóng zhǒng.
    The doctor examined her tonsils and said they were a bit swollen.
  • 扁桃腺。
    Màn xìng biǎn táo xiàn yán xū yào dìng qī fù chá.
    Chronic tonsillitis requires regular check-ups.

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.

扁桃almond-like
扁biǎnflat桃táopeach
偏正Modifier + head
腺xiàngland

扁桃 suggests an almond-like shape, and 腺 means gland; the tonsil is an almond-shaped gland.

Characters in this word

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

  • 戶戶hùdoor
  • 冊冊cèbamboo tablets

扁 is made from 戶 (door) and 冊 (bamboo tablets), giving the idea of inscribing on a door or of two flat, thin things.

Open 扁 →

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
兆
兆zhào桃táo(r)
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

桃 combines 木, meaning tree, with 兆, which gives the sound.

Open 桃 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 腺 →

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