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投胎 (tóu tāi) — to be reborn (into a new life, in Buddhist reincarnation)

Definition

投胎 (tóu tāi) is a Buddhist term meaning to be reborn into a new life after death. It is a set phrase — 投 'enter' + 胎 'womb' — used mainly in religious contexts.

verb
to be reborn (into a new life, in Buddhist reincarnation)

Examples

  • 投胎。
    Tā xiāng xìn rén sǐ hòu huì tóu tāi.
    He believes that after death, people will be reborn.
  • 。
    Tīng shuō tā tóu le sān cì tāi cái biàn chéng rén.
    I heard he was reborn three times before becoming a human.
  • 投胎。
    Fó jiào rèn wéi zhòng shēng dōu zài bú duàn tóu tāi.
    Buddhism holds that all beings are constantly being reborn.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

投tóuenter
胎tāifetus

投 (enter) and 胎 (fetus) combine as entering a new womb for rebirth.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
殳
殳shū投tóu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, and the right part 殳 gives the sound of the character.

Open 投 →

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
⺼Written in full as肉ròu
Sound part声符shēngfú
台
台tái胎tāi
Same sound today

胎 is formed from ⺼ (written in full as 肉) and 台, which gives the sound.

Open 胎 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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