营养素 (yíng yǎng sù) — nutrient

Definition

noun
nutrient

Examples

  • 营养素。
    Zhè zhǒng shí wù hán yǒu fēng fù de yíng yǎng sù.
    This food is rich in nutrients.
  • 营养素。
    Rén tǐ xū yào duō zhǒng yíng yǎng sù lái wéi chí jiàn kāng.
    The human body needs various nutrients to maintain health.
  • 营养素。
    Shū cài hé shuǐ guǒ shì yíng yǎng sù de zhòng yào lái yuán.
    Vegetables and fruits are important sources of nutrients.

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.

营养nutrition
营yíngnourish养yǎngnourish
联合Side by side
素sùsubstance

营养 gives nourishment and 素 is a substance, yielding a nutrient.

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 營; 营 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宮宮gōngpalace
Sound part声符shēngfú
熒
熒yíng營yíng
Same sound today

The traditional form 營 pairs 宮 (palace) with 熒 as a sound part, depicting a person working all night with a light on his house; the simplified 营 is a later abbreviation.

Open 营 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 養; 养 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 養 uses 羊 as a sound part and 食 as a meaning part.

Open 养 →

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

The shape of 素 came from a picture of hands braiding thread.

Open 素 →

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