流感 (liú gǎn) — influenza, flu

Definition

noun
influenzaflu
Measure word · 场

Examples

  • 流感，。
    Zuì jìn liú gǎn hěn yán zhòng, chū mén yào dài kǒu zhào.
    The flu is very serious recently; wear a mask when going out.
  • 流感。
    Wǒ měi nián qiū tiān dōu dǎ liú gǎn yì miáo.
    I get a flu vaccine every autumn.
  • 流感，。
    Tā dé le liú gǎn, fā shāo hǎo jǐ tiān le.
    He caught the flu and has had a fever for several days.

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.

流liúspread
感gǎncold

流 suggests an epidemic that spreads, and 感 refers to a cold-like illness, together naming influenza.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
咸
咸xián感gǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

感 pairs 咸, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, for feeling.

Open 感 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Illness & Symptoms

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