About
The character "乳" originated from an early pictographic representation of a woman nursing an infant, which over time stylized into its current form. Its structure is now analyzed as comprising the component "爫" above "子", visually suggesting a hand cradling a child to imply care and feeding. Etymologically, the character's core meaning has always been "milk" or "to breastfeed", serving as the basis for its verbal and nominal uses. This meaning subsequently extended to denote the breast itself and, through association with nourishment and infancy, to adjectives describing young or immature states, such as in the compound "乳畜" for suckling livestock or "乳制品" for dairy products, reflecting a natural semantic broadening from its original concept.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
早餐我喜欢喝牛奶。
奶酪是一种美味的乳制品。
婴儿需要母乳或配方奶。
酸奶富含活性乳酸菌。
这家工厂专门生产乳制品。
乳白色的月光洒在湖面上。
这种涂料具有优异的乳胶特性。
哺乳动物用乳汁喂养幼崽。