紧张症 (jǐn zhāng zhēng) — catatonia

Definition

A psychiatric/medical term for catatonia — a state of motor rigidity, stupor, or mutism seen in some mental disorders. Highly technical; you will only meet it in clinical reading.

noun
catatonia

Examples

  • 紧张症。
    Zhè wèi huàn zhě bèi zhěn duàn chū huàn yǒu jǐn zhāng zhēng.
    This patient was diagnosed with catatonia.
  • 紧张症。
    jǐn zhāng zhēng De zhèng zhuàng bāo kuò shēn tǐ jiāng zhí hé chén mò bù yǔ.
    The symptoms of catatonia include body rigidity and mutism.
  • 紧张症。
    Yī shēng zhèng zài yán jiū jǐn zhāng zhēng de xīn zhì liáo fāng fǎ.
    Doctors are researching new treatments for catatonia.

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.

紧张tight and tense
紧jǐntight张zhāngtense
联合Side by side
症zhèngdisease

紧张 means tight and tense, and 症 means disease, so the sense is a disorder marked by tension.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 緊; 紧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
臤
臤qiān緊jǐn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緊 pairs 糸 (thread) with 臤 as a sound part; the simplified 紧 is a later shorthand.

Open 紧 →

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 張; 张 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
弓弓gōngbow
Sound part声符shēngfú
長
長cháng張zhāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 張 combines 弓, a bow, with 長, which points to the sound; the simplified 张 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 张 →

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nèdisease
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng症zhèng
Same sound today

The left part 疒 shows it is about disease. The right part 正 is used for the sound.

Open 症 →

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