卵 luǎn egg
egg; ovum; roe
How it came to be
Two round sacs side by side, each with a dot inside: eggs still held in the body, the way a fish is full of roe.
How it is used
- A biological egg/ovum - 卵子 (luǎnzǐ) egg cell/ovum, 产卵 (chǎn luǎn) to lay eggs, 鸟卵 (niǎo luǎn) bird eggs.
- The technical/biological term; edible chicken eggs are 鸡蛋 (jīdàn), with 蛋 the everyday word.
- 以卵击石 (yǐluǎn-jīshí) = to hurl an egg at a rock - to attempt the hopeless.