毛囊炎 (máo náng yán) — folliculitis (inflammation of hair follicles)

Definition

A medical term for inflammation of the hair follicles, usually caused by bacterial infection (often Staphylococcus). Commonly appears as small red bumps and is treated with antibiotic ointment.

noun
folliculitis (inflammation of hair follicles)

Examples

  • 毛囊炎。
    Tā yīn wèi máo náng yán qù kàn le pí fū kē yī shēng.
    He went to see a dermatologist because of folliculitis.
  • 毛囊炎。
    máo náng yán Tōng cháng yòng kàng shēng sù yào gāo zhì liáo.
    Folliculitis is usually treated with antibiotic ointment.
  • ，毛囊炎。
    Xià tiān chū hàn duō, róng yì dé máo náng yán.
    Sweating a lot in summer makes it easy to get folliculitis.

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.

毛囊hair follicle
毛máohair囊nángsac
偏正Modifier + head
炎yáninflammation

毛囊 names a hair sac, and 炎 means inflammation, so it names inflammation of a hair follicle.

Characters in this word

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

毛 is drawn as a feather or hair, with its strokes tracing the shape of the feather or hair.

Open 毛 →

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
㯻㯻㯻bag
Sound part声符shēngfú
襄
襄xiāng囊náng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

囊 is made from 㯻, a tied bag with items inside, plus an abbreviated form of 襄 that gives the sound.

Open 囊 →

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

炎 places two 火 (fire) shapes vertically, one above the other, to show fire doubled.

Open 炎 →

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