Chinese word

细菌

Pronunciation

Pinyinxì jūn

Meaning

  • nounbacteria

Example

这些食物上有细菌，不能吃。zhè xiē shí wù shàng yǒu xì jūn bù néng chī

There are bacteria on these foods, so they cannot be eaten.

Illustration for 细菌 (bacteria)

More examples

抗生素滥用会导致细菌产生耐药性。kàng shēng sù làn yòng huì dǎo zhì xì jūn chǎn shēng nài yào xìng

Misusing antibiotics can cause bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance.

Core concept

A tiny independent living cell found throughout nature, sometimes harmless or useful and sometimes linked to illness or decay.

Common phrases

  • 细菌污染xì jūn wū rǎn

    bacterial contamination

  • 细菌耐药性xì jūn nài yào xìng

    bacterial antibiotic resistance

  • 细菌检测xì jūn jiǎn cè

    bacterial detection

Similar words

病菌bìng jūn: Disease-causing germs that infect people, animals, or plants.
病毒bìng dú: A cell-free infectious agent that multiplies only inside the cells of a host.
微生物wēi shēng wù: A living thing so small that a microscope is usually needed to see it.
病原体bìng yuán tǐ: A disease-causing biological agent that enters or affects a living organism.

Definition in Chinese

指能独立生活、由单个细胞构成的微生物，分布于土壤、水和动植物体内，部分种类可引起感染或使物质腐败。zhǐ néng dú lì shēng huó yóu dān gè xì bāo gòu chéng de wēi shēng wù fēn bù yú tú rǎng shuǐ hé dòng zhí wù tǐ nèi bù fèn zhǒng lèi kě yín qǐ gán rǎn huò shǐ wù zhì fǔ bài

Word origin

细菌 (xìjūn, "bacteria") combines 细 (xì, "small") + 菌 (jūn, "fungus or microorganism"), naming a very small living organism.

Usage tips

  • English usually treats bacteria as a plural noun and uses bacterium for one organism, while 细菌 (xìjūn, "bacteria") can refer to the group without marking number.

Other meanings

  • germnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 细菌污染xì jūn wū rǎnbacterial contaminationnoun
  • 细菌培养xì jūn péi yǎngbacterial culturenoun

Word lists with this word