TongTong
Sign in

白细胞 (bái xì bāo) — white blood cell; leukocyte

Definition

noun
white blood cellleukocyte
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 白细胞。
    Yī shēng shuō wǒ tǐ nèi de bái xì bāo shù liàng zhèng cháng.
    The doctor said the number of white blood cells in my body is normal.
  • 白细胞。
    bái xì bāo Shì miǎn yì xì tǒng de zhòng yào zǔ chéng bù fen.
    White blood cells are an important part of the immune system.
  • 白细胞。
    Fā shāo shí bái xì bāo kě néng huì shēng gāo.
    White blood cells may increase when you have a fever.

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.

白báiwhite
细胞cell
细xìsmall胞bāosac
偏正Modifier + head

"白" white and "细胞" cell combine to name a pale cell; "细胞" itself pictures a small sac.

Characters in this word

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

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

Open 白 →

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 細; 细 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
囟
囟xìn細xì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 細 pairs 糸, silk or thread, with 囟 for the sound. The simplified 细 is a later shorthand, and the old right part changed shape.

Open 细 →

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
月Written in full as肉ròuflesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
包
包bāo胞bāo
Same sound today

胞 pairs 月 (flesh) with 包, a shape representing a pregnant figure, to point to the membrane enclosing a fetus.

Open 胞 →
Appears in
Biology

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.