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内伤 (nèi shāng) — internal injury (physical trauma to organs or tissues); (TCM) internal disorder caused by emotional imbalance or organ dysfunction; figurative emotional or psychological hurt

Definition

Three layered senses: literal internal injury (organs/tissues), a TCM concept where emotions damage the organs, and figurative emotional hurt (e.g. from heartbreak). In figurative use it implies a wound that does not show.

noun
internal injury (physical trauma to organs or tissues)(TCM) internal disorder caused by emotional imbalance or organ dysfunctionfigurative emotional or psychological hurt

Examples

  • ，，内伤。
    Tā chū le chē huò, suī rán wài biǎo méi shì, dàn nèi shāng hěn yán zhòng.
    He was in a car accident — though he looked fine externally, his internal injuries were serious.
  • 内伤，腑。
    Zhōng yī rèn wéi cháng qī yōu yù huì dǎo zhì nèi shāng, sǔn shāng zàng fǔ gōng néng.
    According to TCM, long-term melancholy can cause internal disorders and impair organ function.
  • ，内伤。
    Zhè cì fēn shǒu duì tā dǎ jī hěn dà, liú xià le nán yǐ yù hé de nèi shāng.
    This breakup hit her hard, leaving an emotional wound that was hard to heal.

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.

内nèiinside
伤shānginjury

内 (inside) and 伤 (injury) combine to mean damage within the body.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 入入rùto enter
  • 冂冂jiōnghouse

The shape shows 入 entering into 冂, a house, so it pictures bringing something indoors, giving the sense inside.

Open 内 →

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 傷; 伤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
𥏻
𥏻𥏻傷shāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傷 shows 人, a person, and uses 𥏻 to give the sound; the simplified 伤 is a later shorthand.

Open 伤 →
Appears in
Illness & SymptomsTraditional Medicine & Philosophy

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