钙

鈣
gài
丐 + 钅
HSK 2.0Level 6
HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

gài calcium (chemistry)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 钅 represents the meaning and 丐 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鈣.

Semantic: 钅 Phonetic: 丐

About

钙 (gài) is the simplified form of 鈣, a phono-semantic compound deliberately coined for the element calcium when the periodic table was rendered into Chinese. The left-side radical 钅 (from 金 jīn 'metal') marks it as a metallic substance. The right-side component 丐 (gài), which ordinarily means 'to beg' or 'beggar,' is used purely as a phonetic loan; its sound gài matches the first syllable of the English 'calcium,' and its original meaning is disregarded. This methodical combination of a semantic radical and a phonetic loan exemplifies the systematic creation of modern Chinese scientific terminology.

Example Sentences Hide

牛奶富含钙质。

niú nǎi fù hán gài zhì。

Milk is rich in calcium.

儿童需要补充足够的钙。

ér tóng xū yào bǔ chōng zú gòu de gài。

Children need to supplement sufficient calcium.

钙对骨骼健康至关重要。

gài duì gǔ gé jiàn kāng zhì guān zhòng yào。

Calcium is crucial for bone health.

你可以通过吃豆制品来获取钙。

nǐ kě yǐ tōng guò chī dòu zhì pǐn lái huò qǔ gài。

You can obtain calcium by eating bean products.

缺钙可能导致骨质疏松症。

quē gài kě néng dǎo zhì gǔ zhì shū sōng zhèng。

Calcium deficiency may lead to osteoporosis.

维生素D有助于钙的吸收。

wéi shēng sù D yǒu zhù yú gài de xī shōu。

Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium.

这种钙片的生物利用度很高。

zhè zhǒng gài piàn de shēng wù lì yòng dù hěn gāo。

This type of calcium tablet has high bioavailability。

研究人员正在研究新型钙拮抗剂的药理作用。

yán jiū rén yuán zhèng zài yán jiū xīn xíng gài jié kàng jì de yào lǐ zuò yòng。

Researchers are studying the pharmacological effects of new calcium channel blockers.

Related Characters

Component: 丐

丐 鈣 麫

Component: 钅

钱 错 银 铁 销 钟 镇 针 镜 键 锁 钢 铺 锋

Example Words

氧化钙 钙质 氢氧化钙 碳酸钙 磷酸钙 钙化 钙华