耳鼻喉科 (ěr bí hóu kē) — otolaryngology, ear-nose-throat (ENT) department

Definition

noun
otolaryngologyear-nose-throat (ENT) department

Examples

  • ，耳鼻喉科。
    Wǒ zuì jìn ěr duo bù shū fu, xiǎng qù ěr bí hóu kē kàn kàn.
    I've been having ear trouble lately and want to go to the ENT department.
  • 耳鼻喉科。
    ěr bí hóu kē De yī shēng jiàn yì wǒ zuò yí cì tīng lì jiǎn chá.
    The ENT doctor recommended I get a hearing test.
  • 耳鼻喉科。
    Zhè jiā yī yuàn de ěr bí hóu kē hěn yǒu míng.
    This hospital's ENT department is very famous.

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.

耳鼻喉ear-nose-throat
耳ěrear鼻bínose喉hóuthroat
联合Side by side
科kēdepartment

耳, 鼻, and 喉 name ear, nose, and throat, while 科 marks a medical department.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

耳 is drawn as a picture of an ear.

Open 耳 →

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
自自zìnose
Sound part声符shēngfú
畀
畀bì鼻bí
Same sound today

鼻 pairs 自, meaning nose, with 畀, which gives the sound.

Open 鼻 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
侯
侯hóu喉hóu
Same sound today

喉 combines 口, a mouth, with 侯, which gives its sound.

Open 喉 →

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
斗斗dòumeasuring tool
Sound part声符shēngfú
禾
禾hé科kē
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

科 pairs 禾, which gives the hé sound, with 斗, a measuring tool.

Open 科 →

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