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瘟疫 (wēn yì) — plague; pestilence

Definition

瘟疫 refers to a large-scale, devastating epidemic such as plague or pestilence — far more severe and historical than the everyday 传染病, which just means any infectious disease.

noun
plaguepestilence
Measure word · 场

Examples

  • 瘟疫。
    Lì shǐ shàng duō cì wēn yì duó zǒu le wú shù rén de shēng mìng.
    Plagues in history have taken countless lives.
  • 瘟疫，。
    Zhè chǎng wēn yì lái shì xiōng xiōng, zhèng fǔ lì jí cǎi qǔ le cuò shī.
    This pestilence struck fiercely, and the government immediately took measures.
  • 瘟疫。
    Gǔ dài yī xué jiā duì wēn yì de fáng zhì zuò chū le zhòng yào gòng xiàn.
    Ancient medical scientists made important contributions to the prevention and treatment of plagues.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

瘟wēnepidemic disease
疫yìplague

瘟疫 combines two disease words, 瘟 and 疫, for a widespread plague.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 瘟 →

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
疒疒nèsickness
Sound part声符shēngfú
役
役yì疫yì
Same sound today

疫 uses 疒 as the sickness marker and 役 to give its sound.

Open 疫 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Illness & Symptoms

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