膝 (xī) — (bound form) knee (used in compounds like 膝盖, 膝关节)
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'knee' — it almost never stands alone and appears in compounds like 膝盖 (knee) and 膝关节 (knee joint).
bound form
knee (used in compounds like 膝盖, 膝关节)
Easily confused
- 漆qīlook-alike(noun) paint, lacquer
- 西Xīsound-alikewest; the West
- 吸xīsound-aliketo inhale, to breathe in
- 嘻xīsound-alike(interjection) an exclamation expressing surprise, alarm, or sorrow
- 兮xīsound-alike(classical Chinese modal particle) used for exclamation or rhythmic effect, similar to 'oh' or 'ah'
- 希xīsound-alikehope (bound form, as in 希望)
Examples
- 。Tā pǎo bù de shí hou shāng le xī gài.He hurt his knee while running.
- 。Yī shēng zǐ xì jiǎn chá le tā de xī guān jié.The doctor carefully examined his knee joint.
- 。xī Gài téng tòng ràng tā zǒu lù hěn kùn nan.Knee pain made it hard for him to walk.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
桼
桼qī膝xī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
In 膝, ⺼ is the body form of 肉, marking a body part, and 桼 gives the sound.
Appears in
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