腰 (yāo) — waist, lower back; middle part (of an object)
Definition
Body part for the waist and lower back (e.g. 腰疼). It also means the 'middle' of a long object like a mountain (山腰) or pants (裤腰) — distinct from 中/中间, which describe a center point or position.
noun
waistlower backmiddle part (of an object)
Measure word · 条
Easily confused
Examples
- 腰。Tā zuì jìn yāo téng dé lì hài.His lower back has been hurting badly recently.
- 。Wǒ men pá dào shān yāo xiū xi le yí huì r.We climbed to the mountainside and rested for a while.
- 腰，。Zhè tiáo kù zi yāo tài kuān le, wǒ bù xǐ huan.The waist of these pants is too wide; I don't like them.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
The left part ⺼ is flesh; the right part 要 gives the sound.
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