Chinese word

细胞

Pronunciation

Pinyinxì bāo

Meaning

  • nouncell

Example

人体里有很多细胞。rén tǐ lǐ yǒu hěn duō xì bāo

There are many cells in the human body.

Illustration for 细胞 (cell)

More examples

在显微镜下可以观察到细胞分裂的过程。zài xiǎn wēi jìng xià ké yǐ guān chá dào xì bāo fēn liè de guò chéng

Under a microscope, you can observe the process of cell division.

Core concept

A microscopic life compartment whose membrane holds the machinery and inherited instructions needed for its activity and division.

Common phrases

  • 细胞分裂xì bāo fēn liè

    cell division

  • 细胞核xì bāo hé

    cell nucleus

  • 细胞膜xì bāo mó

    cell membrane

Similar words

组织zǔ zhī: A group of cells joined together to perform a particular function in the body.
器官qì guān: A body part formed from several tissues and suited to a particular function.
系统xì tǒng: A group of organs and tissues that cooperate to perform a particular body function.

Definition in Chinese

被膜包围、能进行代谢和分裂的微小生物单位，通常含有细胞器和遗传物质。bèi mó bāo wéi néng jìn xíng dài xiè hé fēn liè de wēi xiǎo shēng wù dān wèi tōng cháng hán yǒu xì bāo qì hé yí chuán wù zhì

Word origin

In 细胞 (xìbāo, "cell"), 细 (xì, "small") + 胞 (bāo, "enclosed sac") presents the idea of a small sac-like unit that contains life-supporting material.

Usage tips

  • When counting this noun, Chinese commonly uses the general measure word in 一个细胞 (yí ge xìbāo, "one cell").

Related words

  • 细胞学xì bāo xuécytologynoun
  • 细胞质xì bāo zhìcytoplasmnoun
  • 干细胞gàn xì bāostem cellnoun

Word lists with this word