About
The character "骨", meaning bone, originated from a pictographic representation of interconnected bones, though its earliest forms are no longer transparent in its modern structure. Its traditional form, which remains unchanged in simplification, is composed of two parts: the upper component "冎" depicts a skeletal frame, while the lower component "月" (actually a variant of "肉", meaning flesh) was later added, possibly to signify the bodily context of bones. Over time, its meaning expanded from the literal hard tissue of the body to encompass metaphorical uses, referring to the underlying framework or essential quality of an object, as in "骨幹" (backbone), or to a person's character, as in "風骨" (moral integrity). This semantic extension reflects how the concept of a structural core moved from the physical to the abstract realm within the language.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
汤里有骨头。
这只狗啃骨头。
他的手臂骨折了。
骨骼支撑着身体。
模特都很骨感。
他是公司的骨干。
她是个有骨气的人。
他骨子里很善良。