七窍 (qī qiào) — the seven apertures in the human head (eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth)

Definition

A TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) term for the seven facial orifices — both eyes, both ears, both nostrils, and the mouth. Used literally in medical writing and figuratively in idioms like 七窍生烟 ('fuming with rage').

noun
the seven apertures in the human head (eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth)

Examples

  • 七窍。
    Tā qì dé qī qiào shēng yān.
    He was furious (lit. so angry that smoke came out of his seven apertures).
  • 七窍，。
    Nà ge bìng rén qī qiào liú xuè, qíng kuàng shí fēn wēi jí.
    That patient was bleeding from all seven apertures; the situation was critical.
  • 七窍。
    Zhōng yī rèn wéi qī qiào yǔ wǔ zàng liù fǔ mì qiè xiāng guān.
    Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the seven apertures are closely related to the internal organs.

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.

七qīseven
窍qiàoaperture

七 gives the number seven, and 窍 names the openings.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 七 comes from two crossing lines: the top line runs left to right, and the next line goes down and across.

Open 七 →

Most 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 竅; 窍 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave
Sound part声符shēngfú
敫
敫jiǎo竅qiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 竅 combines 穴, meaning cave, with 敫 for the sound; the simplified 窍 is a shorthand.

Open 窍 →

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