黏膜 (nián mó) — mucous membrane

Definition

noun
mucous membrane
Measure word · 层
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，黏膜。
    Gǎn mào shí, bí qiāng lǐ de nián mó huì fā yán.
    When you have a cold, the mucous membrane in the nasal cavity becomes inflamed.
  • 黏膜。
    Kǒu qiāng nián mó de sǔn shāng xū yào jí shí zhì liáo.
    Damage to the oral mucous membrane needs prompt treatment.
  • 黏膜。
    Zhè zhǒng yào wù kě yǐ bǎo hù wèi nián mó.
    This medication can protect the gastric mucous membrane.

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.

黏niánsticky
膜mómembrane

黏 means sticky, and 膜 means membrane, giving mucous membrane.

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
黍黍shǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn黏
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

黏 is built from 黍, which carries the sense, and 占, which gives the sound.

Open 黏 →

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
⺼Written in full as肉ròu
Sound part声符shēngfú
莫
莫mò膜mó
Same sound today

膜 combines ⺼ (written in full as 肉) with 莫, which gives the character its sound.

Open 膜 →

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