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肾衰竭 (shèn shuāi jié) — kidney failure

Definition

noun
kidney failure

Examples

  • 肾衰竭。
    Tā bèi zhěn duàn chū shèn shuāi jié.
    He was diagnosed with kidney failure.
  • 肾衰竭。
    shèn shuāi jié Xū yào cháng qī zhì liáo.
    Kidney failure requires long-term treatment.
  • 肾衰竭。
    Tā de shèn shuāi jié shì gāo xuè yā yǐn qǐ de.
    His kidney failure was caused by high blood pressure.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

肾shènkidney
衰竭failure
衰shuāidecline竭jiéexhaust
联合Coordinate

肾 for kidney and 衰竭 for loss of function describe kidney failure.

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 腎; 肾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat; flesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
臤
臤qiān腎shèn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 腎 pairs ⺼ (flesh) with 臤 as a sound hint, and it names a body part, the kidneys. The simplified 肾 is a later shorthand.

Open 肾 →

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

The old form of 衰 pictures a palm-fiber raincoat, a garment later written with another character.

Open 衰 →

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
立立lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
曷
曷hé竭jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

竭 is built from 立 and 曷: 立 carries the meaning part, while 曷 supplies the sound.

Open 竭 →
Appears in
Illness & SymptomsOrgans & Anatomy

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