踝 (huái) — ankle (bound form, used in compounds)

Definition

Ankle. 踝 is a bound form — it never stands alone; it appears only in compounds like 脚踝 (ankle) and 踝关节 (ankle joint).

bound form

ankle (bound form, used in compounds)

。
Tā pǎo bù shí bù xiǎo xīn niǔ shāng le jiǎo huái.
He sprained his ankle while running.
踝，。
Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de huái guān jié, shuō méi yǒu gǔ zhé.
The doctor examined her ankle joint and said there was no fracture.
踝。
Nèi huái hé wài cè rèn dài shì jiǎo bù zhòng yào de jié gòu.
The medial malleolus and lateral ligaments are important structures of the foot.

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.

𧾷果踝

Meaning part形符xíngfú

𧾷Written in full as足zúfoot

Sound part声符shēngfú

果

果guǒ踝huái

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

The left part 𧾷 is a foot, and the right part 果 gives the sound.

Appears in