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生理 (shēng lǐ) — physiology (the scientific study of bodily functions); physiological processes; bodily functions

Definition

生理 means 'physiology' — the study or processes of how the body works. Pairs with 物理 ('physics') only in sharing the suffix 物理 vs 生理; otherwise the two sciences are unrelated.

noun
physiology (the scientific study of bodily functions)physiological processesbodily functions

Examples

  • 生理。
    Wǒ zài dà xué xuǎn xiū le shēng lǐ kè chéng.
    I took a physiology course in college.
  • 生理28。
    Nǚ xìng de shēng lǐ zhōu qī yuē wèi 28 tiān.
    The female physiological cycle is about 28 days.
  • 生理。
    Shuì mián bù zú huì yǐng xiǎng shēng lǐ jiàn kāng.
    Lack of sleep can affect physiological health.

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shēnglife
理lǐprinciple

'生' and '理' combine as life and principle, giving bodily functions.

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
里
里lǐ理lǐ
Same sound today

理 pairs 玉 (jade) with 里, which shows how to say it; the jade part points to the old sense of polishing jade.

Open 理 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Biology

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