Definition
宿主 has two distinct meanings. In biology, it refers to a host organism that harbors a parasite, virus, or symbiont — common in scientific and medical Chinese. The older, literary sense means a former master (of a servant or slave), now rare in everyday speech. Context disambiguates which sense is intended.
n.
(biology) host (organism that harbors another)(literary) former master (of a servant or slave)
Examples
- 宿主。Bìngdú bìxū yīlài sù zhǔ cáinéng shēngcún.Viruses must rely on a host to survive.
- 宿主。Zhè zhǒng jìshēngchóng zài sù zhǔ tǐ nèi fánzhí.This parasite reproduces inside the host.
- 宿主。Gǔdài de jiānú cháng bèi sù zhǔ nüèdài.In ancient times, household slaves were often mistreated by their former master.
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