Definition
胀 (zhàng) means 'to swell' or 'swollen/bloated' and applies to both body parts (e.g., a swollen ankle) and objects (e.g., wood swelling with moisture). It is broader than 肿 (zhǒng), which is limited to body swelling from injury or inflammation. 涨 (zhàng) is a near-homophone for volume increase (e.g., a swollen head), while 膨胀 (péng zhàng) refers to expansion or inflation (physical or abstract).
verb
to swell
adjective
swollenbloated
Easily confused
- 张zhānglook-aliketo open up; to spread
- 长zhǎngsound-alike(adjective) elder, senior in age
- 长zhǎngsound-alike(verb) to grow
- 章zhāngsound-alike(classifier) for chapters of a book, sections of a document, or clauses of a law
- 涨zhàngsound-aliketo swell, to distend
- 涨zhàngsound-aliketo swell, to expand in volume
Examples
- 胀。Tā pǎobù yǐhòu jiǎo zhàng le.His foot swelled after running.
- 胀。Hē tài duō píjiǔ huì ràng dùzi zhàng.Drinking too much beer will bloat your stomach.
- 胀。Tā de xīgài zhàng le yí gè xīngqī cái hǎo.His knee was swollen for a whole week before it recovered.
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