颈 (gěng) — neck (bound form, used in compounds like 脖颈子)
Definition
Bound noun meaning 'neck' — only appears in compounds, never on its own. The everyday spoken word for 'neck' is 脖子; 颈 is the written/formal half (as in 颈椎 'cervical spine').
bound form
neck (bound form, used in compounds like 脖颈子)
Examples
- ，。Tā dī tóu shí, bó gěng zi lù le chū lái.When he lowered his head, the back of his neck was exposed.
- 。Hái zi shuì jiào shí zǒng ài bǎ bó gěng r lù zài wài miàn.The child always likes to leave the back of his neck exposed when sleeping.
- 。Nǐ bó gěng zi hòu miàn zhān le piàn shù yè.There's a leaf stuck on the back of your neck.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 頸; 颈 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng頸gěng
Same sound today
The traditional form 頸 uses 頁, head, to show the meaning, and 巠 to give the sound; the simplified 颈 is a later shorthand.
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