髓 (suǐ) - Marrow — the soft, fatty substance inside bones & essence or pith of something

髓Tone 3

suǐ ｜ 21 strokes ｜ radical:

树檀

髓 · suǐ

Marrow — the soft, fatty substance inside bones;

essence or pith of something;

core substance.

Marrow — the soft, fatty substance inside bonesessence or pith of somethingcore substance.

Usage highlights

Bone marrowSpinal cordEssence and marrowBrain marrowMarrow cavityMarrow transplantation

Synonyms

  • 骨髓— bone marrow (literal)
  • 精髓— essence, quintessence (figurative)

Antonyms

  • 皮毛— superficial, surface-level (literally 'fur and skin')
  • 外表— exterior, appearance

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Bone marrow transplant(骨髓移植)
  • The essence of traditional culture(文化精髓)
  • Spinal cord injury(脊髓损伤)
  • Brain marrow (脑髓) — archaic term for brain

Collocations

  • Bone marrow(骨髓)
  • Spinal cord(脊髓)
  • Essence and marrow(精髓)
  • Brain marrow(脑髓)
  • Marrow cavity(髓腔)
  • Marrow transplantation(骨髓移植)

Idioms

  • Penetrate to the marrow(深入骨髓)
  • Chilled to the marrow(彻骨寒髓)
  • Essence and marrow(神髓)
  • Bookish and pedantic(书髓)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, marrow is considered one of the fundamental substances of the body, produced by the kidneys.
  • Metaphorically used to describe the most essential, core part of knowledge or tradition.
  • The character appears in medical contexts but also in philosophical discussions about essence.

FAQ