贫血 (pín xuè) — anemia

Definition

noun
anemia

Examples

  • 贫血。
    Tā yīn wèi pín xuè jīng cháng gǎn dào tóu yūn.
    He often feels dizzy due to anemia.
  • 贫血。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì tā duō chī bǔ xuè de shí wù lái gǎi shàn pín xuè.
    The doctor suggested she eat more blood-nourishing foods to improve anemia.
  • 贫血。
    pín xuè Huàn zhě xū yào dìng qī jiǎn chá xuè cháng guī.
    Anemia patients need regular blood tests.

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.

贫píndeficient
血xuèblood

贫 gives deficient and 血 gives blood, so the sense is deficient blood.

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 貧; 贫 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney
Sound part声符shēngfú
分
分fēn貧pín
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貧 has 分 above 貝, a money part. 分 gives the sound and means 'divide', giving the image of dividing one's money; the simplified 贫 is a later shorthand.

Open 贫 →

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 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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