Definitions

jūn (noun) bacteria; germ; fungus
jùn (noun) mushroom

Etymology phono-semantic

plant

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 菌, signifying fungus or bacterium, combines the grass radical 艹 with the phonetic element 囷, where the radical suggests a plant-like nature and the component offers phonetic guidance. Its early usage primarily referred to mushrooms and other fungal growths, but over time, the term's meaning extended to include microscopic entities like bacteria, paralleling scientific developments in microbiology. The traditional form of this character has persisted without alteration, maintaining its structural logic as a semantic-phonetic compound while accommodating an expanded conceptual range.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

在显微镜下才能看到。

Xìjūn zài xiǎnwēijìng xià cái néng kàndào.

Bacteria can only be seen under a microscope.

这种真生长在潮湿的地方。

Zhè zhǒng zhēnjūn shēngzhǎng zài cháoshī de dìfāng.

This type of fungus grows in damp places.

不要吃那些发霉有霉的食物。

Bùyào chī nàxiē fāméi yǒu méijūn de shíwù.

Don't eat that moldy food which has mold fungi.

蘑菇是一种可食用的类。

Mógu shì yī zhǒng kě shíyòng de jūnlèi.

Mushrooms are a type of edible fungus.

抗生素可以有效杀死致病

Kàngshēngsù kěyǐ yǒuxiào shāsǐ zhìbìngjūn.

Antibiotics can effectively kill pathogenic bacteria.

微生物包括细、病毒和真

Wēishēngwù bāokuò xìjūn, bìngdú hé zhēnjūn.

Microorganisms include bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

实验室正在培育一种新的株。

Shíyànshì zhèngzài péiyù yī zhǒng xīn de jūnzhū.

The laboratory is cultivating a new strain of bacteria.

研究者通过基因工程改造了这种酵母

Yánjiū zhě tōngguò jīyīn gōngchéng gǎizàole zhè zhǒng jiàomǔjūn.

Researchers have genetically modified this strain of yeast through genetic engineering.