潜伏期 (qián fú qī) — (medical) incubation period; latent period (of…

Definition

noun

(medical) incubation periodlatent period (of development or change)

潜伏期。
Zhè zhǒng bìng de qián fú qī dà yuē shì liǎng zhōu.
The incubation period for this disease is about two weeks.
潜伏期。
Gǎi gé de xiào guǒ xū yào jīng guò yí gè qián fú qī cái néng xiǎn xiàn.
The effects of the reform need a latent period before they appear.
潜伏期，。
Zài qián fú qī nèi, huàn zhě kě néng méi yǒu míng xiǎn zhèng zhuàng.
During the incubation period, patients may have no obvious symptoms.

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.

潜伏lie hidden

潜qiánhide伏fúlie crouched

联合Side by side

潜伏 means lying hidden and 期 marks the period, together naming the latent period.

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 潛; 潜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

朁

朁cǎn潛qián

Same sound today

The form 潛 has 水 as a meaning part and 朁 as a sound part; this note is about 潛, not the simplified 潜.

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

伏 combines 人 (person) and 犬 (dog), as a dog beside a person or a person taking a dog's low posture, to show lying prostrate.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

其

Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.