Definitions
biceps (in Chinese medicine); (arch.) forelimbs of livestock animal
Etymology
About
臑 is a phono-semantic compound with the flesh radical 月 (ròu) marking it as a body part, and the phonetic 需 (xū, 'need'). In early texts on anatomy and butchery, it referred specifically to the forelimbs, shoulders, or upper arms of humans or livestock, often in accounts of sacrificial offerings. Later, the character became largely restricted to classical medical literature, where it denotes acupuncture points on the upper limbs and remains a precise anatomical term, never acquiring abstract or colloquial meanings related to strength or labor.
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