腹胀 (fù zhàng) — abdominal distension, bloating

Definition

A medical/clinical term for abdominal bloating or distension (a feeling of fullness and swelling in the belly). More formal than the everyday 肚子胀, and typically used in health contexts or by doctors.

noun
abdominal distensionbloating
Easily confused

Examples

  • 腹胀，。
    Tā zuì jìn zǒng shì gǎn jué fù zhàng, kě néng shì xiāo huà bù hǎo.
    He has been feeling bloated lately; maybe his digestion is poor.
  • 腹胀。
    Zhè zhǒng yào kě yǐ huǎn jiě fù zhàng de zhèng zhuàng.
    This medicine can relieve the symptoms of abdominal distension.
  • 腹胀，。
    Fàn hòu jīng cháng chū xiàn fù zhàng, yīng gāi shǎo chī yóu nì de shí wù.
    If you often get bloating after meals, you should eat less greasy food.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

腹fùbelly
胀zhàngswell

腹 names the belly, and 胀 says it swells; together they describe abdominal bloating.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat; flesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
复
复fù腹⁰fù
Same sound today

The left part 肉, meaning flesh, shows this is a body part, and the right part 复 gives the sound.

Open 腹 →

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 脹; 胀 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
長
長cháng脹zhàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 脹 pairs ⺼ (meat) with 長, which gives the sound; this note is about 脹, not 胀.

Open 胀 →

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