精子 (jīng zǐ) — sperm; spermatozoon | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

spermspermatozoon

Examples

精子。
jīng zǐ Shì nán xìng shēng zhí xì bāo.
Sperm are male reproductive cells.
精子。
Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de jīng zǐ.
The doctor examined his sperm.
精子。
jīng zǐ Zài nán xìng tǐ nèi chǎn shēng.
Sperm is produced inside the male body.

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.

精jīngessence

The “精” (essence) and “子” (seed) combine to name the male reproductive cell.

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.

米青精

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

青

青qīng精jīng

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

精 pairs 米 (rice) with 青, which gives the sound; the character originally meant polished rice.

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.

Appears in

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