肘 (zhǒu) — (bound form) elbow | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A bound noun for 'elbow' — almost never used alone, typically appears as 肘部 or 肘关节 to refer to the elbow area or joint.

bound form

elbow

，。
Wǒ de zhǒu bù téng, kě néng shì guān jié yán.
My elbow area hurts; it might be arthritis.
。
Tā yòng zhǒu guān jié dǐng kāi le mén.
He used his elbow joint to push the door open.
。
Dǎ lán qiú shí yào zhù yì bǎo hù zhǒu bù.
When playing basketball, be careful to protect your elbows.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

寸

寸cùn肘zhǒu

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The old form of 肘 drew a hand with a line marking the elbow. Because it looked like 寸, 肉 was added to tell the two shapes apart.

Appears in