趾骨 (zhǐ gū) — toe bone(s); phalanx of the toe

Definition

noun

toe bone(s)phalanx of the toe

Measure word · 块

Easily confused

趾骨，。
Yī shēng shuō tā jiǎo shàng de zhǐ gū gǔ zhé le, xū yào xiū xi sān gè yuè.
The doctor said the toe bone in his foot was fractured and he needs to rest for three months.
趾骨，。
Rén lèi de jiǎo yóu xǔ duō kuài zhǐ gū zǔ chéng, tā men bāng zhù zhī chēng shēn tǐ zhòng liàng.
The human foot is made up of many toe bones, which help support the body's weight.
趾骨，。
Tā de zhǐ gū zài shì gù zhōng yán zhòng shòu shāng, xū yào mǎ shàng dòng shǒu shù.
His toe bone was severely injured in the accident and requires immediate surgery.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

趾 means toe and 骨 means bone, giving the meaning of a toe bone.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

趾 combines 足 (foot) with 止, which meant foot and supplied the sound; the earliest written form was 止.

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

冎

冎guǎ骨gǔ

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

The older form 冎 drew a bone; 肉, flesh, was added to make 骨.