腰部 (yāo bù) — waist, lower back, lumbar region | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

waistlower backlumbar region

Examples

腰部。
Tā cháng cháng jué de yāo bù suān tòng.
She often feels soreness in her lower back.
腰部。
Yī shēng jiàn yì tā duō duàn liàn yāo bù jī ròu.
The doctor advised him to exercise his lumbar muscles more.
腰部。
Zhè ge zī shì duì yāo bù yā lì hěn dà.
This posture puts a lot of pressure on the waist.

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.

腰 names the waist and 部 marks the part or region, giving the waist area.

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

⺼Written in full as肉ròuflesh

Sound part声符shēngfú

要

要yào腰yāo

Same sound today

The left part ⺼ is flesh; the right part 要 gives the sound.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

咅

咅pǒu部bù

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Appears in

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