胚

肧

pēi

丕 + 月

Definitions

pēi variant of 胚[pēi]

pēi embryo

Etymology phono-semantic

flesh

Semantic: ⺼ Phonetic: 丕

About

The character 胚 is a phono-semantic compound: the flesh radical 月 places it in the category of body parts, organs, and living tissue, while the phonetic 丕 gives its pronunciation. Biologically, it denotes an embryo or very early fetus, the initial stage of cellular formation in an animal or plant before it is fully developed. From this biological beginning, the meaning broadens to describe any preliminary stage, rough outline, or unfinished foundation of a physical object or abstract concept, shifting from a strict biological noun to a general descriptor for anything in a nascent, undeveloped state.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

科学家研究胚胎。

Kēxuéjiā yánjiū pēitāi.

Scientists study embryos.

胚胎发育需要营养。

Pēitāi fāyù xūyào yíngyǎng.

Embryo development requires nutrition.

胚芽在土壤中生长。

Pēiyá zài tǔrǎng zhōng shēngzhǎng.

The germ grows in the soil.

这个胚胎处于早期阶段。

Zhège pēitāi chǔyú zǎoqī jiēduàn.

This embryo is in an early stage.

研究人员观察胚胎的细胞分裂。

Yánjiū rényuán guānchá pēitāi de xìbāo fēnliè.

Researchers observe the cell division of the embryo.

胚层分化形成各种组织。

Pēicéng fēnhuà xíngchéng gèzhǒng zǔzhī.

The germ layer differentiates to form various tissues.

在实验室里，他们培育了人工胚胎。

Zài shíyànshì lǐ, tāmen péiyùle réngōng pēitāi.

In the laboratory, they cultivated artificial embryos.

通过基因编辑，科学家能够修改胚胎的遗传信息。

Tōngguò jīyīn biānjí, kēxuéjiā nénggòu xiūgǎi pēitāi de yíchuán xìnxī.

Through gene editing, scientists can modify the genetic information of embryos.

Related Characters

Component: 丕

Component: 月

胚