颚 (è) — jaw; palate

Definition

颚 (è) refers to the jaw (the bony structure, especially the lower jaw in animals) — not the inside roof of the mouth. It appears mainly in anatomical and zoological contexts, often in compounds like 下颚 (lower jaw).

noun
jawpalate

Examples

  • ,。
    Yùn dòng yuán zài bǐ sài zhōng shòu shāng le, xià è gǔ zhé le.
    The athlete was injured in the competition and fractured his lower jaw.
  • ,。
    Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de xià è, fā xiàn méi yǒu yán zhòng wèn tí.
    The doctor examined his lower jaw and found no serious problem.
  • ,。
    Zhè zhǒng yú de xià è fēi cháng yǒu lì, kě yǐ yǎo suì yìng ké.
    This type of fish has a very powerful lower jaw that can crush hard shells.

Origin

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 顎; 颚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
咢
咢è顎
Same sound today

The traditional form 顎 pairs 頁, the part carrying the meaning, with 咢, which gives the sound; the simplified 颚 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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