TongTong
Sign in

雌激素 (cí jī sù) — estrogen

Definition

A scientific/medical term for 'estrogen,' the female sex hormone. No common near-synonyms; used in health, biology, and medical contexts.

noun
estrogen

Examples

  • 雌激素。
    cí jī sù Duì nǚ xìng de jiàn kāng fēi cháng zhòng yào.
    Estrogen is very important for women's health.
  • 雌激素。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì tā jiǎn chá tǐ nèi de cí jī sù shuǐ píng.
    The doctor suggested she check her estrogen levels.
  • 雌激素。
    Zhè zhǒng yào wù kě yǐ tiáo jié rén tǐ nèi de cí jī sù.
    This medicine can regulate the estrogen in the human body.

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.

雌cífemale
激素hormone
激jīstimulate素sùelement
偏正Modifier + head

雌 (female) specifies 激素 (hormone), giving the sense of a female hormone.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuī
Sound part声符shēngfú
此
此cǐ雌cí
Same sound today

雌 is made of 此 and 隹. 此 gives the sound, and 隹 is the part connected to the meaning.

Open 雌 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
敫
敫jiǎo激jī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 激, the 氵 side marks water, and 敫 gives the sound jiǎo; the original sense is water swashing.

Open 激 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 素 came from a picture of hands braiding thread.

Open 素 →
Appears in
Biology

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.