髋骨 (kuān gū) — hipbone

Definition

noun
hipbone
Measure word · 块
Easily confused

Examples

  • 髋骨。
    Tā de kuān gū shòu le shāng.
    His hipbone was injured.
  • 髋骨。
    Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de kuān gū.
    The doctor examined her hipbone.
  • 髋骨。
    Lǎo nián rén róng yì shuāi shāng kuān gū.
    Elderly people easily fracture their hipbone.

Origin

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.

髋kuānhip
骨gǔbone

髋 means hip, and 骨 means bone; together they name the hipbone.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 髋 →

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ròu
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.

Open 骨 →

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