缺氧 (quē yǎng) — to be short of oxygen, to be hypoxic | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Verb/adjective meaning 'to lack oxygen / be hypoxic' — used in medical, scientific, and high-altitude contexts. The verb form 缺氧 can split with 了 or quantifiers: 缺了氧, 缺一点氧.

to be short of oxygento be hypoxic

Examples

，缺氧。
Zhè lǐ de kōng qì xī bó, hěn róng yì quē yǎng.
The air here is thin, so it's easy to be short of oxygen.
，。
Tā pá shān shí quē le yǎng, bèi sòng xià shān le.
He became hypoxic while climbing the mountain and was sent back down.
缺氧。
Bìng rén cháng qī quē yǎng huì dǎo zhì qì guān sǔn shāng.
Long-term oxygen deprivation in patients can cause organ damage.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

缺 means lack and 氧 means oxygen, so together they mean being short of oxygen.

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.

缶夬缺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

缶缶fǒuearthen pot

Sound part声符shēngfú

夬

夬guài缺quē

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

缺 pairs 缶, an earthen pot, with 夬, which gives the sound.

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

气气qìgas

Sound part声符shēngfú

養

養yǎng氧yǎng

Same sound today

氧 pairs 气 (gas) with 養 (to nourish), and 養 gives the sound yǎng.

Appears in

Illness & Symptoms

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