水蛭 (shuǐ zhì) — leech | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

leech

Measure word · 条

Examples

水蛭。
shuǐ zhì Shēng huó zài shuǐ zhōng.
Leeches live in water.
水蛭。
Zhè zhǒng shuǐ zhì kě yǐ rù yào.
This kind of leech can be used in medicine.
水蛭。
Tā zài hé biān bèi shuǐ zhì yǎo le.
He was bitten by a leech by the river.

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.

水 places the animal in water, while 蛭 gives the leech itself, so the meaning is a leech.

Characters in this word

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

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

虫至蛭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

虫虫chónginsect

Sound part声符shēngfú

至

至zhì蛭zhì

Same sound today

蛭 pairs 虫, showing an insect, with 至, showing the sound.

Appears in

Animals & Mammals

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.