孕育

yùnyù
verb HSK 7 #15,147

Meanings

  1. 1 to breed; to nurture
  2. 2 to give rise to; to be pregnant with (figurative)

Characters

Literally 'conceive and nurture' — from pregnancy to bringing up, often used figuratively for ideas, civilizations, or movements.

Examples

Huánghé yùnyù le Zhōnghuá wénmíng.
The Yellow River gave rise to Chinese civilization.
Zhè piàn tǔdì yùnyù le fēngfù de wénhuà.
This land nurtured a rich culture.

Tips

usage
孕育 is almost always used figuratively in modern Chinese — for rivers giving birth to civilizations, struggles breeding revolutions, or environments nurturing talent. Its literal meaning (to be pregnant and give birth) is rarely used; 怀孕 is the standard term for actual pregnancy.

Stroke Order

yùn