Meaning of 细胞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- cell (biology)
How to use 细胞
细胞 is the standard word for a biological cell, used in science class, medicine and everyday talk about health. It often pairs with words like 癌细胞 (ái xìbāo, cancer cell) or 脑细胞 (nǎo xìbāo, brain cell). Example: 人体由很多细胞组成。(Réntǐ yóu hěn duō xìbāo zǔchéng.) The human body is made up of many cells.
细 (xì) means thin or tiny, and 胞 (bāo) is the sac you also see in 同胞 (tóngbāo), siblings from the same womb. A cell is a tiny sac of life.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 细胞 (xìbāo, cell) and 细菌 (xìjūn, bacterium) because both start with 细. A cell is part of every living thing, while 细菌 is a germ. Also keep 胞 in the first tone, bāo, not bào.
细胞 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
细 xì · thin or slender · 8 strokes
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胞 bāo · womb · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 细胞.
| 细节 | xìjié | details; particulars |
| 细致 | xìzhì | delicate; fine |
| 仔细 | zǐxì | careful; attentive; cautious; to be careful; to look out |
| 详细 | xiángxì | detailed; in detail |
| 细菌 | xìjūn | bacterium; germ |
| 同胞 | tóngbāo | born of the same parents; sibling |
| 双胞胎 | shuāngbāotāi | twin |
| 精细 | jīngxì | fine; meticulous |
| 细心 | xìxīn | meticulous; careful; attentive |
| 细微 | xìwēi | tiny; minute |
| 细腻 | xìnì | (of skin etc) smooth; satiny; delicate; (of a performance, depiction, craftsmanship etc) f |
| 精打细算 | jīngdǎ-xìsuàn | meticulous planning and careful accounting (idiom) |
Questions about 细胞
What does 细胞 mean?
细胞 (xìbāo) means "cell (biology)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 细胞?
细胞 is made of 2 characters: 细 (8 strokes), 胞 (9 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 细胞 an HSK word?
Yes. 细胞 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 细胞 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 细胞 is written 細胞.
Can 细胞 mean a cell phone or a prison cell?
No. 细胞 only means a biological cell. A mobile phone is 手机 (shǒujī), and a prison cell is 牢房 (láofáng).
What does 艺术细胞 mean?
艺术细胞 (yìshù xìbāo), literally art cells, is a playful way to say someone has artistic talent. For example, 他没有艺术细胞 means he has no artistic flair. You can also say 音乐细胞 for musical talent.