膀 (bǎng) — shoulder (in 肩膀); wing (in 翅膀); upper arm (in 臂膀)

Definition

A bound form meaning 'shoulder', 'wing', or 'upper arm', almost always seen in compounds: 肩膀 (shoulder), 翅膀 (wing), 臂膀 (upper arm). It never stands alone as a separate word.

bound form
shoulder (in 肩膀)wing (in 翅膀)upper arm (in 臂膀)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Tā pāi le pāi wǒ de jiān bǎng.
    He patted me on the shoulder.
  • 。
    Xiǎo niǎo zhāng kāi chì bǎng fēi zǒu le.
    The little bird spread its wings and flew away.
  • ，。
    Tā jǔ qǐ bì bǎng, zhǎn shì jī ròu.
    He raised his arm to show off his muscles.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
肉肉ròumeat; flesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
旁
旁páng膀pāng
Same sound today

The left part 肉 is flesh; the right part 旁 gives the sound.

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