膀 (bǎng) - Shoulder & upper arm

膀Tone 3

bǎng ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

傲不

膀 · bǎng

Shoulder;

upper arm;

wing (of a bird);

bladder (anatomical organ).

Shoulderupper armwing (of a bird)

Usage highlights

ShouldersWingsUpper armBladderBroadArm strength

Synonyms

  • 肩— shoulder (more specific to shoulder joint)
  • 臂— arm (general term for arm)
  • 翅— wing (more common for insect/bird wings)

Antonyms

  • 腿— leg (lower limb vs. upper limb)
  • 足— foot (lower extremity vs. upper extremity)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He has broad shoulders (宽肩膀).
  • The bird spread its wings (翅膀).
  • The boxer injured his arm (胳膊).
  • The urinary bladder stores urine (膀胱).

Collocations

  • Shoulders(肩膀)
  • Wings(翅膀)
  • Upper arm(膀子)
  • Bladder(膀胱)
  • Broad-shouldered(膀大腰圆)
  • Arm strength(臂膀力量)

Idioms

  • Striking while the iron is hot(趁热打铁)
  • Broad-shouldered and thick-waisted(膀大腰圆)
  • Shoulder to shoulder(肩并肩)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese martial arts and physical culture, strong 'shoulders' (膀) symbolize physical power and robustness.
  • The character appears in terms for both human anatomy (shoulders, bladder) and animal anatomy (bird wings).
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, the bladder (膀胱) is one of the six fu organs and is associated with the water element.

FAQ