痨 (láo) — tuberculosis (bound form, used in compounds)
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'tuberculosis', always attached to another character — usually 肺痨 (pulmonary TB) or 痨病 (TB as a disease). It never stands alone as a word.
bound form
tuberculosis (bound form, used in compounds)
Examples
- ，。Tā dé le fèi láo, zhèng zài yī yuàn zhì liáo.He contracted tuberculosis and is being treated in the hospital.
- 痨。Lǎo zhōng yī yòng chuán tǒng fāng fǎ zhì liáo láo bìng.The old Chinese doctor treats tuberculosis with traditional methods.
- 。Zhè zhǒng cǎo yào duì zhì liáo fèi láo hěn yǒu xiào.This herb is effective for treating tuberculosis.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 癆; 痨 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nèsickness
Sound part声符shēngfú
勞
勞láo癆láo
Same sound today
The traditional form 癆 pairs 疒, sickness, with 勞 for sound; 痨 is its simplified form.
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