缝合 (féng hé) — to sew together; to suture (a wound or incision)

Definition

缝合 (fénghé) means to sew or stitch closed — used for both fabric and surgical wounds. 缝 on its own refers to the noun 'seam/crack', not the act of sewing.

verb
to sew togetherto suture (a wound or incision)

Examples

  • 缝合
    Tā yòng zhēn xiàn bǎ liǎng piàn bù liào féng hé zài yì qǐ.
    She sewed the two pieces of fabric together with a needle and thread.
  • 缝合
    Yī shēng bì xū xiǎo xīn dì féng hé bìng rén de shāng kǒu.
    The doctor must carefully suture the patient's wound.
  • 缝合
    Shǒu shù hòu, hù shi yòng bēng dài bǎo hù féng hé hǎo de bù wèi.
    After the surgery, the nurse used a bandage to protect the sutured area.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

缝 (sew) and 合 (join) describe sewing edges until they meet.

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 縫; 缝 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Written in full as
Sound part声符shēngfú
féngfèng(r)
Same sound today

The traditional form 縫 pairs 糸 with 逢; 逢 gives the sound, and 糸 fits the sense. The simplified 缝 is a shorthand.

Open 缝 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

合 shows 亼 and 口 arranged as two mouths speaking together.

Open 合 →

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