Definition
异体 is an attributive term meaning 'variant form' or 'different body.' It most often appears in 异体字 (variant Chinese characters — different written forms of the same character) and in medical contexts like 异体移植 (allograft or transplant from a different person). The simple gloss 'alternative/different style' is misleading because 'style' is not the core meaning; focus on 'variant form' or 'allogeneic' depending on the field.
attr.
(attributive) variant (said of Chinese characters with the same meaning but different form)(attributive) allogeneic (transplanted from a genetically different individual of the same species)
Examples
- 异体，。Zhè běn shū shōulù le hěn duō yì tǐ zì, xūyào duìzhào cáinéng kàndǒng.This book includes many variant characters; you need to compare them to understand.
- 异体。yì tǐ yízhí shǒushù zài yīxué shàng yǐjīng xiāngdāng chéngshú le.Allogeneic transplant surgery is already quite mature in medicine.
- ，异体。Yánjiū gǔ wénzì shí, liǎojiě yì tǐ zì fēicháng guānjiàn.When studying ancient characters, understanding variant characters is very important.
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