真菌 (zhēn jūn) — fungus | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

fungus

Measure word · 种

真菌。
Kàng shēng sù shì cóng mǒu xiē zhēn jūn zhōng tí qǔ de.
Antibiotics are extracted from certain fungi.
真菌。
Tǔ rǎng lǐ de zhēn jūn duì zhí wù shēng zhǎng hěn zhòng yào.
Fungi in the soil are very important for plant growth.
真菌。
Zhè zhǒng zhēn jūn kě yǐ yòng lái zuò fā jiào shí pǐn.
This type of fungus can be used to make fermented food.

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.

真 means true or genuine, and 菌 means fungus; together they name true fungi.

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

貝貝bèicowrie; shell

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠂈

𠂈𠂈真zhēn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

真 pairs 貝 (cowrie shell, used for the meaning) with 𠂈, which gave the sound and originally drew a headlong fall.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

艹囷菌

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

囷

囷qūn菌jūn

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 艹 is a plant sign, and the lower 囷 gives the sound.

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