毒液
dúyè
The English word 'venom' is translated into Chinese as 毒液 (dúyè). Wiktionary also lists 毒 (dú).
Meaning: an animal toxin intended for offensive use (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 毒液 | dúyè |
| 毒 | dú |
In Chinese, there are different ways to express the concept of venom depending on how specific or formal you wish to be. While 毒液 refers to the substance itself, the shorter form 毒 is frequently used in biological contexts as a suffix to denote a specific toxin produced by an animal, such as in the term for bee venom, 蜂毒. Additionally, you may encounter 毒素 to refer to toxins generally and 蛇毒 when referring specifically to snake venom.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 毒液 is composed of 毒, meaning 'poison' and 液, meaning 'liquid' or 'fluid'.
Which one should you use?
毒液 refers specifically to the liquid substance known as venom, whereas 毒 is a more general term that can mean poison or toxin.
How do you pronounce it?
dúyè
Did you know?
- The character for 'poison', 毒, might actually have originated from a pictogram of a woman wearing a feathered ornament. This suggests the word's modern meaning of 'toxin' was a later phonetic borrowing from a completely unrelated object.
- In the context of traditional Chinese medicine, certain types of 毒 are intentionally used in controlled doses to treat illnesses.
- The character 毒 is often used in Chinese compound words to describe things that are 'addictive' or 'toxic' in a metaphorical sense, such as 'toxic' relationships.
Examples in context
- 蜜蜂為花卉和樹木授粉，並採集花蜜來製造蜂蜜、蜂膠和蜂毒。Bees pollinate flowers and trees, and collect nectar to make honey, bee glue and bee venom.This sentence is useful for seeing how the form 毒 is used to denote animal toxins like bee venom.Tatoeba #13878137 by LeviHighway, translation #6703979 by Micsmithel
- 医生正在研究蛇毒的疗效。The doctor is researching the efficacy of snake venom.
- 这种蛇的毒液非常致命。Zhè zhǒng shé de dúyè fēicháng zhìmìng.The venom of this kind of snake is very fatal.
- 科学家正在研究这种毒液。Kēxuéjiā zhèngzài yánjiū zhè zhǒng dúyè.Scientists are currently researching this venom.
Example conversation
浩然 and 佳怡 are watching a nature documentary together.
- 浩然 Haoran你看，这种蛇的毒液好可怕。Nǐ kàn, zhè zhǒng shé de dúyè hǎo kěpà.Look, the venom of this snake is so scary.
- 佳怡 Jiayi确实，千万不能靠近它。Quèshí, qiānwàn bùnéng kàojìn tā.Indeed, we must definitely not go near it.
- 浩然 Haoran它分泌的毒液竟然是蓝色的。Tā fēnmì de dúyè jìngrán shì lánsè de.The venom it secretes is actually blue.
- 佳怡 Jiayi真让人感到不可思议。Zhēn ràng rén gǎndào bùkě sīyì.It is truly unbelievable.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “venom” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 毒, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
