后腰 (hòu yāo) — lower back, small of the back

Definition

noun
lower backsmall of the back

Examples

  • 后腰。
    Tā yùn dòng shí niǔ shāng le hòu yāo.
    He sprained his lower back while exercising.
  • 后腰。
    Jiǔ zuò huì ràng hòu yāo gǎn dào suān tòng.
    Sitting for a long time can make your lower back feel sore.
  • 后腰。
    Tā gěi hòu yāo tiē le yí kuài gāo yao.
    She put a medicated patch on her lower back.

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.

后hòuback
腰yāowaist

后 means 'back' and 腰 means 'waist', together referring to the small of the back.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròuflesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
要
要yào腰yāo
Same sound today

The left part ⺼ is flesh; the right part 要 gives the sound.

Open 腰 →

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