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硬皮病 (yìng pí bìng) — scleroderma (chronic autoimmune disease)

Definition

noun
scleroderma (chronic autoimmune disease)

Examples

  • 硬皮病。
    Yī shēng shuō tā dé le yìng pí bìng.
    The doctor said he has scleroderma.
  • 硬皮病。
    yìng pí bìng Shì yì zhǒng màn xìng bìng.
    Scleroderma is a chronic disease.
  • 硬皮病。
    yìng pí bìng Huì yǐng xiǎng pí fū hé nèi zàng.
    Scleroderma can affect the skin and internal organs.

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.

硬皮hard skin
硬yìnghard皮pískin
偏正Modifier + head
病bìngdisease

硬 (hard) and 皮 (skin) describe the kind of 病 (disease), giving hard-skin disease.

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
石石shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
更
更gèng硬yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

硬 is built from 石, meaning stone, to show hardness or stiffness, and 更, which gives the sound.

Open 硬 →

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

皮 shows a hand pulling fur off an animal pelt, with the pelt drawn at the upper left.

Open 皮 →

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
丙
丙bǐng病bìng
Same sound today

病 pairs 疒, a sickness mark, with 丙, which gives the sound; 丙 also means fire, giving a picture of lying feverishly in bed.

Open 病 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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