软组织 (ruǎn zǔ zhī) — soft tissue (anatomy)

Definition

noun
soft tissue (anatomy)

Examples

  • MRI软组织
    MRI kě yǐ qīng xī dì xiǎn shì ruǎn zǔ zhī de sǔn shāng.
    MRI can clearly show damage to soft tissue.
  • 软组织
    Yùn dòng yuán de ruǎn zǔ zhī lā shāng xū yào jǐ zhōu cái néng huī fù.
    An athlete's soft tissue strain takes several weeks to recover.
  • 软组织
    Wài kē yī shēng zǐ xì fēn lí le ruǎn zǔ zhī hé gǔ gé.
    The surgeon carefully separated the soft tissue from the bone.

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.

组织tissue
group/assemblezhīweave
联合Coordinate

软 (soft) and 组织 (tissue) together mean soft tissue.

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 軟; 软 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
carriage
Sound part声符shēngfú
ruǎnruǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 軟 pairs 車 (carriage) with 耎 as a sound part; 耎 depicted a man under rain, and simplified 软 uses a later right side instead of 耎.

Open 软 →

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 組; 组 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
silk
Sound part声符shēngfú
qiě
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 組 pairs 糸 (silk) with 且 as a sound part; the simplified 组 is a shorthand.

Open 组 →

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 織; 织 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
silk
Sound part声符shēngfú
zhízhī
Same sound today

The traditional form 織 uses 糸, silk, with 戠 for the sound. The simplified 织 is a later shorthand.

Open 织 →

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