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粉刺 (fěn cì) — acne

Definition

noun
acne

Examples

  • 粉刺。
    Tā liǎn shàng cháng le hěn duō fěn cì.
    He has a lot of acne on his face.
  • 粉刺。
    Qīng chūn qī róng yì cháng fěn cì.
    Acne is common during puberty.
  • 粉刺。
    Zhè zhǒng yào gāo kě yǐ zhì liáo fěn cì.
    This ointment can treat acne.

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.

粉fěnpowder
刺cìprick

粉刺 pictures acne as a small 刺, or prick, with a 粉-like grainy look.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
分
分fēn粉fěn
Same sound today

粉 pairs 米 (rice) with 分 for its sound. The rice part points to face powder made from rice.

Open 粉 →

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
刂Written in full as刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
朿
朿cì刺cì
Same sound today

刺 pairs 刂 (knife) with 朿, which gives the sound; the knife part fits actions like stabbing or pricking.

Open 刺 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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