血栓 (xuè shuān) — thrombus, blood clot

Definition

noun

thrombusblood clot

Measure word · 块

血栓。
Yī shēng fā xiàn tā tuǐ bù yǒu xuè shuān.
The doctor found a thrombus in his leg.
血栓。
Cháng qī wò chuáng róng yì xíng chéng xuè shuān.
Prolonged bed rest can easily form a blood clot.
血栓。
xuè shuān Tuō luò kě néng yǐn qǐ yán zhòng bìng fā zhèng.
A thrombus breaking loose may cause serious complications.

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.

'血' points to blood, and '栓' suggests a plug or clot, so 血栓 is a clot that blocks a blood vessel.

Characters in this word

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

The shape shows 一, a drop of blood, inside 皿, a container, for blood held in a sacrificial vessel.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木全栓

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

全

全quán栓shuān

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

栓 pairs 木 (wood) with 全 as a sound part; the source describes it as a wooden peg.

Appears in