颞 (niè) — temporal bone; temple (anatomy)
Definition
颞 (niè) is a bound anatomical morpheme referring to the temple region of the skull; it almost always combines with 骨, 叶, or 部 (颞骨, 颞叶, 颞部) rather than standing alone.
bound form
temporal bonetemple (anatomy)
Examples
- 颞。Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de niè gǔ.The doctor examined his temporal bone.
- 颞。niè Yè shì dà nǎo de zhòng yào bù fen.The temporal lobe is an important part of the brain.
- 颞，。Tā de niè bù shòu le shāng, xū yào zhì liáo.The temporal region of his head was injured and needs treatment.
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 顳; 颞 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
聶
聶niè顳
Same sound today
The traditional form 顳 pairs 頁, which relates to the meaning, with 聶, which gives the sound; the simplified 颞 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.
Appears in
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