腸 (cháng) - intestines, bowels, gut & sausage

腸Tone 2

cháng ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

偲嫦

腸 · cháng

intestines, bowels, gut;

sausage;

emotional feelings, heart

intestines, bowels, gutsausageemotional feelings, heart

Usage highlights

large intestinesmall intestineintestines/bowelssausagebrokenwarm

Synonyms

  • 肠子— intestines, guts (colloquial)
  • 肠道— intestinal tract

Antonyms

  • 胃— stomach (different digestive organ)
  • 心— heart (emotional center vs. intestinal feelings)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The small intestine absorbs nutrients (小肠).
  • He had intestinal surgery (肠道手术).
  • This is a type of sausage (香肠).
  • She has a kind heart (热心肠).

Collocations

  • large intestine(大肠)
  • small intestine(小肠)
  • intestines/bowels(肠道)
  • sausage(香肠)
  • broken-hearted(断肠)
  • warm-hearted(热心肠)

Idioms

  • Broken-hearted(肝肠寸断)
  • Worrying oneself sick(愁肠百结)
  • As if having knotted intestines(牵肠挂肚)
  • Open one's heart and belly(开肠见肚)
  • Iron guts and stone heart(铁肠石心)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese medicine, the intestines are one of the six fu organs responsible for transportation and transformation.
  • The character appears in many expressions describing deep emotions, particularly sorrow and worry.
  • Sausage-making has a long tradition in Chinese cuisine, especially during Lunar New Year celebrations.

FAQ