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The character 腘 (traditional form 膕) is a phono-semantic compound: the flesh radical 月 (a variant of 肉) on the left classifies it as a body part, while the component 国 (traditional 國) on the right provides the pronunciation. It denotes the popliteal space, the hollow or crease behind the knee. Throughout its history, it has retained this precise anatomical meaning without developing metaphorical extensions. As a result, it is a specialized term encountered mainly in medical texts, kinesiology, and anatomical descriptions.
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