青霉素 (qīng méi sù) — penicillin | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

penicillin

Examples

青霉素。
Yī shēng gěi bìng rén zhù shè le qīng méi sù.
The doctor injected the patient with penicillin.
青霉素。
qīng méi sù De fā xiàn shì yī xué shǐ shàng de zhòng dà tū pò.
The discovery of penicillin was a major breakthrough in medical history.
青霉素，。
Yǒu xiē rén duì qīng méi sù guò mǐn, bù néng shǐ yòng.
Some people are allergic to penicillin and cannot use it.

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.

青霉blue-green mold

青qīngblue-green霉méimold

偏正Modifier + head

素sùsubstance

青 and 霉 give 青霉, a blue-green mold, and 素 names a substance from it.

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.

生生shēng
井井jǐng

An early form of 青 combined 生 and 井, both used for sound; the modern form has changed.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

雨每霉

Meaning part形符xíngfú

雨雨yǔrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

每

每měi霉méi

Same sound today

The top 雨 (rain) points to dampness, and the bottom 每 (měi) gives the sound.

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.

Appears in

Medicine & Treatment

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