Definitions

armpit; (biology) axilla; (botany) axil; Taiwan pr. [yì]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and represents the sound. Originally written as .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 腋, denoting the armpit, exemplifies a phono-semantic composition with the flesh radical 月 signaling its relation to the body and the component 夜 providing its modern pronunciation. Etymologically, it originates from the earlier character 亦, which initially represented the armpits through a pictorial concept but became predominantly used as a grammatical particle meaning "also". To reclaim the specific anatomical reference, the flesh radical was affixed to 亦, resulting in the form 腋, which subsequently underwent a phonetic alteration replacing 亦 with 夜 as the phonetic element due to linguistic shifts. This character has maintained its core meaning of the underarm area throughout its history, illustrating how Chinese characters often acquire semantic radicals to specialize meaning when their original forms are diverted to other functions.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他抬起手臂露出下。

Tā tái qǐ shǒubì lòu chū yèxià.

He raised his arm to reveal his armpit.

运动后他的下出汗了。

Yùndòng hòu tā de yèxià chū hàn le.

After exercise, his armpits sweated.

医生检查了他的窝淋巴结。

Yīshēng jiǎnchá le tā de yèwō línbā jié.

The doctor checked his armpit lymph nodes.

她使用止汗剂防止下异味。

Tā shǐyòng zhǐhànjì fángzhǐ yèxià yìwèi.

She uses deodorant to prevent armpit odor.

下的皮肤很敏感容易发红。

Yèxià de pífū hěn mǐngǎn róngyì fā hóng.

The skin under the armpit is sensitive and easily turns red.

如果窝疼痛可能需要看医生。

Rúguǒ yèwō téngtòng kěnéng xūyào kàn yīshēng.

If there is pain in the armpit, you may need to see a doctor.

他因下多汗症而感到困扰。

Tā yīn yèxià duōhànzhèng ér gǎndào kùnrǎo.

He is troubled by hyperhidrosis in his armpits.

在炎热天气里保持下干燥很重要。

Zài yánrè tiānqì lǐ bǎochí yèxià gānzào hěn zhòngyào.

It is important to keep the armpits dry in hot weather.