Chinese word

孪生

Pronunciation

Pinyinluán shēng

Meaning

  • adjectivetwin

Example

他们是一对孪生兄弟。tā men shì yí duì luán shēng xiōng dì

They are twin brothers.

Illustration for 孪生 (twin)

More examples

她们虽然是孪生姐妹，但兴趣爱好完全不同。tā men suī rán shì luán shēng jiě mèi dàn xìng qù ài hào wán quán bù tóng

Although they are twin sisters, their interests and hobbies are completely different.

Core concept

Two beings linked by a shared birth and viewed as a matched pair.

Common phrases

  • 孪生兄弟luán shēng xiōng dì

    twin brothers

  • 孪生姐妹luán shēng jiě mèi

    twin sisters

  • 孪生子女luán shēng zǐ nǚ

    twin children

Similar words

同卵tóng luǎn: Formed when one fertilized egg divides into two, resulting in nearly identical genes.
异卵yì luǎn: Formed from two different fertilized eggs, resulting in genetically different twins.

Definition in Chinese

同时出生的两个人或动物；作形容词时表示成对出生的状态，常用来修饰兄弟、姐妹等。tóng shí chū shēng de liǎng gè rén huò dòng wù zuò xíng róng cí shí biǎo shì chéng duì chū shēng de zhuàng tài cháng yòng lái xiū shì xiōng dì jiě mèi děng

Word origin

孪 (luán, "twin") + 生 (shēng, "to be born") presents two beings as sharing one birth event.

Usage tips

  • This modifier is more common in formal writing, medical contexts, and set phrases than in relaxed conversation, so it is especially useful for reading signs and articles.

Opposites

  • 单胎dān tāisingleadjective

Related words

  • 孪生子luán shēng zitwin childnoun
  • 孪生率luán shēng lǜrate of twinningnoun

Word lists with this word