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生物体 (shēng wù tǐ) — organism

Definition

noun
organism
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 生物体。
    Měi gè shēng wù tǐ dōu xū yào cóng huán jìng zhōng huò qǔ néng liàng.
    Every organism needs to obtain energy from the environment.
  • 生物体。
    Kē xué jiā zhèng zài yán jiū zhè zhǒng shēng wù tǐ de jī yīn xù liè.
    Scientists are studying the genome of this organism.
  • 生物体。
    Hǎi yáng zhōng de wēi xiǎo shēng wù tǐ gòu chéng le shí wù liàn de jī chǔ.
    Tiny organisms in the ocean form the base of the food chain.

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.

生物living thing
生shēngliving物wùthing
偏正Modifier + head
体tǐbody

生物 means a living thing and 体 means body, so the word denotes a living body or organism.

Characters in this word

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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
牛牛niú
Sound part声符shēngfú
勿
勿wù物wù
Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Open 物 →

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 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
骨骨gǔbone
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ體tǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Open 体 →
Appears in
Biology

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