流感 (liú gǎn) — influenza, flu | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

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 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.

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

咸心感

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Illness & Symptoms

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