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脑海 (nǎo hǎi) — the mind (as the locus of thoughts, memories, and imagination); the brain (figurative)

Definition

脑海 is figurative: 'the mind' as the place where memories and images appear, not the physical organ — use 大脑 or 脑子 for the actual brain. Often pairs with 浮现 or 里 to picture something 'in one's mind'.

noun
the mind (as the locus of thoughts, memories, and imagination)the brain (figurative)

Examples

  • 脑海。
    Tā de xiào liǎn yì zhí fú xiàn zài wǒ de nǎo hǎi zhōng.
    Her smiling face keeps appearing in my mind.
  • 脑海。
    Zhè ge niàn tou tū rán cóng nǎo hǎi lǐ mào le chū lái.
    This thought suddenly popped into my mind.
  • 脑海。
    Tóng nián jì yì zài nǎo hǎi lǐ yī rán hěn qīng xī.
    Childhood memories are still very clear in my mind.

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.

脑nǎobrain
海hǎisea

脑 is brain and 海 is sea: the mind as a vast sea of thoughts.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腦; 脑 is its simplified writing.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 巛巛chuānhair
  • 囟囟xìnhead; fontanel

In the traditional form 腦, the older part 匕 was replaced by a flesh part, while 巛 (hair) and 囟 (head; fontanel) stayed. The simplified 脑 is a later abbreviation.

Open 脑 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi海hǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Organs & AnatomyThinking & Cognition5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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