空肠 (kōng cháng) — (anatomy) jejunum — part of the small intestine; (botany) skullcap; Scutellaria (genus of flowering plants in the mint family)

Definition

Two unrelated senses share this spelling: (1) anatomy — the jejunum, the middle segment of the small intestine; (2) botany — skullcap (Scutellaria), a mint-family herb used in Chinese medicine.

noun
(anatomy) jejunum — part of the small intestine(botany) skullcapScutellaria (genus of flowering plants in the mint family)

Examples

  • 空肠。
    Yī shēng tōng guò nèi kuī jìng jiǎn chá le tā de kōng cháng.
    The doctor examined his jejunum with an endoscope.
  • 空肠。
    Zhè zhǒng kōng cháng zhí wù zài zhōng cǎo yào zhōng cháng yòng yú qīng rè.
    This kind of skullcap plant is often used in Chinese herbal medicine to clear heat.
  • 空肠。
    kōng cháng Shì xiǎo cháng zhōng zuì cháng de yí duàn.
    The jejunum is the longest segment of the small intestine.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

空kōngempty
肠chángintestine

The parts for 空 empty and 肠 intestine suggest the part of the gut that is often empty.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腸; 肠 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròubody
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng腸cháng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 腸 pairs 肉, the body, with 昜, which gives the sound; the simplified 肠 is a later shorthand.

Open 肠 →

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