早产儿 (zǎo chǎn ér) — premature baby; preterm infant

Definition

noun

premature babypreterm infant

Measure word · 个

早产儿。
Zhè ge zǎo chǎn ér chū shēng shí zhǐ yǒu liǎng gōng jīn.
This premature baby weighed only two kilograms at birth.
早产儿。
zǎo chǎn ér Xū yào tè bié de hù lǐ hé yíng yǎng.
Premature babies require special care and nutrition.
早产儿。
Yī shēng chéng gōng jiù huó le nà ge zǎo chǎn ér.
The doctor successfully saved that premature baby.

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.

早产premature birth

偏正Modifier + head

早产 describes early birth, and 儿 is the baby, so the whole means a baby born too early.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

棗

棗zǎo早zǎo

Same sound today

The form 早 pairs 日 (sun) with 棗, which gives the sound; an earlier shape of 早 was a picture of an acorn.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 產; 产 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

生生shēngto be born

Sound part声符shēngfú

彥

彥yàn產chǎn

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

The traditional form 產 pairs 生, "to be born," with 彥 as a sound part; the simplified 产 is a shorthand.

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

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.