瓣膜 (bànmó): valve (anatomy/biology)

Meanings

1 valve (anatomy/biology)
2 (heart, vein) valve

Characters

瓣

Examples

心脏瓣膜出了问题。

Xīnzàng bànmó chū le wèntí.

There's a problem with his heart valve.

医生建议做瓣膜手术。

Yīshēng jiànyì zuò bànmó shǒushù.

The doctor recommends valve surgery.

Tips

memory

瓣 (a segment / petal) + 膜 (membrane) = the segmented membrane that opens and closes — a biological valve. Use it for any anatomical valve (心脏瓣膜 heart valve, 静脉瓣膜 vein valve), NOT for mechanical valves (those are 阀 fá or 阀门).