人中 (rén zhōng) — philtrum (the vertical groove between the nose and upper lip)

Definition

noun
philtrum (the vertical groove between the nose and upper lip)

Examples

  • 人中。
    Tā de rén zhōng hěn shēn.
    His philtrum is deep.
  • 人中。
    Zhōng yī rèn wéi rén zhōng shì zhòng yào xué wèi.
    In traditional Chinese medicine, the philtrum is an important acupoint.
  • 人中。
    Měi gè rén de rén zhōng dū bù xiāng tóng.
    Everyone's philtrum is different.

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.

人rénhuman
中zhōngmiddle

The “中” (middle) spot on a “人” (person) names the groove between nose and lip.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

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