血癌 (xuè ái) — leukemia | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

leukemia

，。
Tā qù nián bèi zhěn duàn chū xuè ái, jīng guò zhì liáo yǐ jīng hǎo zhuǎn le.
She was diagnosed with leukemia last year, but after treatment it has improved.
血癌。
Zhè zhǒng xīn yào duì xuè ái huàn zhě yǒu hěn hǎo de xiào guǒ.
This new drug is very effective for leukemia patients.
血癌，。
xuè ái Suī rán kě pà, dàn zǎo qī fā xiàn zhì yù lǜ hěn gāo.
Although leukemia is scary, the cure rate is high if detected early.

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 gives blood and 癌 gives cancer, naming cancer of the blood.

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.

疒嵒癌

Meaning part形符xíngfú

疒疒nèdisease

Sound part声符shēngfú

嵒

嵒yán癌

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

癌 combines 疒 (disease) with 嵒, a component used for its sound.