炭疽 (tàn jū) — anthrax | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

anthrax

Examples

炭疽，。
Nà ge rén dé le tàn jū, yī shēng zài zhì tā.
That person got anthrax, and the doctor is treating him.
炭疽。
tàn jū Shì yì zhǒng fēi cháng wēi xiǎn de bìng.
Anthrax is a very dangerous disease.
炭疽。
Zhèng fǔ zhèng zài nǔ lì fáng zhǐ tàn jū.
The government is working hard to prevent anthrax.

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.

炭tàncharcoal

炭 means charcoal and 疽 means sore, so the idea is a charcoal-like sore.

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

火火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

岸

岸àn炭tàn

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

炭 combines 火 (fire) with 岸, which provides the sound. The 火 part connects the character to fire or burning material.

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

疒且疽

Meaning part形符xíngfú

疒疒nèillness

Sound part声符shēngfú

且

Same sound today

疽 contains 疒, a mark for illness, and 且, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Illness & Symptoms

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