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残疾 (cán jí) — physical disability; deformity

Definition

残疾 is the standard noun for a physical disability or deformity — neutral and respectful, as in 残疾人士 ('people with disabilities'). 伤残 overlaps but is more a verb ('to disable') than a noun.

noun
physical disabilitydeformity

Examples

  • 残疾。
    Yì chǎng chē huò dǎo zhì le tā de cán jí.
    A car accident caused his disability.
  • 残疾。
    Zhè zhǒng cán jí kě yǐ tōng guò shǒu shù gǎi shàn.
    This type of disability can be improved through surgery.
  • 。
    Shè huì yīng gāi gèng jiā guān xīn cán jí rén shì.
    Society should care more about disabled individuals.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

残cándamage
疾jíillness

残 indicates damage or incompleteness and 疾 indicates illness, so it means a bodily disability.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 殘; 残 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
歹歹dǎivicious, bones
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān殘cán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 殘 pairs 歹, a bone shape for injury, with 戔 for its sound; the simplified 残 is a later shorthand.

Open 残 →

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

疾 combines 疒, showing illness, with a form showing an arrow flying toward a person, giving the sense of fast.

Open 疾 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 5Injury & Disability

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