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血细胞 (xuè xì bāo) — blood cells

Definition

noun
blood cells

Examples

  • 血细胞。
    Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de xuè xì bāo shù liàng.
    The doctor checked his blood cell count.
  • 血细胞。
    xuè xì bāo Fēn wéi hóng xì bāo hé bái xì bāo liǎng zhǒng.
    Blood cells are divided into red blood cells and white blood cells.
  • 血细胞。
    Pín xuè shì yīn wèi xuè xì bāo bù zú yǐn qǐ de.
    Anemia is caused by insufficient blood cells.

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.

血xuèblood
细胞cell
细xìfine胞bāocell
偏正Modifier + head

The 血 part specifies the location, and 细胞 means cell, so the word denotes cells in blood.

Characters in this word

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

  • 一一yīdrop of blood
  • 皿皿mǐncontainer

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

Open 血 →

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 細; 细 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
囟
囟xìn細xì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 細 pairs 糸, silk or thread, with 囟 for the sound. The simplified 细 is a later shorthand, and the old right part changed shape.

Open 细 →

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
月Written in full as肉ròuflesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
包
包bāo胞bāo
Same sound today

胞 pairs 月 (flesh) with 包, a shape representing a pregnant figure, to point to the membrane enclosing a fetus.

Open 胞 →
Appears in
Organs & Anatomy

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