瘤子 (liú zǐ) — tumor; lump (colloquial)

Definition

Colloquial word for a 'tumor' or 'lump' — used in everyday speech, especially when talking about a growth on the body. The clinical/medical term is 肿瘤.

noun
tumorlump (colloquial)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 瘤子,。
    Yī shēng shuō tā dù zi lǐ zhǎng le yí gè liú zǐ, xū yào zuò shǒu shù.
    The doctor said a tumor has grown in his stomach and he needs surgery.
  • 瘤子,。
    Zhè ge liú zǐ shì liáng xìng de, bú yòng tài dān xīn.
    This tumor is benign, so don't worry too much.
  • 瘤子,。
    Tā bó zi shàng de liú zǐ yǐ jīng qiē chú le, huī fù dé hěn hǎo.
    The lump on her neck has been removed and she is recovering well.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

瘤liútumor
子zǐsuffix

The colloquial word for a lump is built from 瘤, meaning tumor, plus 子.

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
疒疒nèillness
Sound part声符shēngfú
留
留liú瘤liú
Same sound today

瘤 pairs 疒, an illness part, with 留, which gives its sound.

Open 瘤 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →

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