头颈 (tóu gěng) — neck (body part, formal/anatomical) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Formal/anatomical term for 'neck'. In everyday speech learners will more often meet 脖子 (bózi); 头颈 is the term used in clinical, medical, and written contexts.

noun

neck (body part, formal/anatomical)

Measure word · 个

Examples

头颈。
tóu gěng Bù de jī ròu xū yào jīng cháng duàn liàn cái néng bǎo chí lì liàng.
The muscles of the neck need regular exercise to maintain strength.
头颈。
Yī shēng jiàn yì tā jiǎn chá yí xià tóu gěng zhuī shì fǒu yǒu wèn tí.
The doctor recommended he check whether his cervical vertebrae are problematic.
头颈。
Zhè zhǒng zī shì róng yì dǎo zhì tóu gěng bù láo sǔn.
This posture easily leads to neck strain.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

头 (head) and 颈 (neck) combine to name the neck region.

Characters in this word

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

豆頁頭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

豆dòu頭tóu

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

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 頸; 颈 is its simplified writing.

巠頁頸

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

巠

巠jīng頸gěng

Same sound today

The traditional form 頸 uses 頁, head, to show the meaning, and 巠 to give the sound; the simplified 颈 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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