About
The character "椎" is structurally composed of the semantic radical "木", indicating wood, and the phonetic component "隹", which provides the sound clue for its pronunciation. Its original meaning was a wooden hammer or club, directly derived from the material signified by the wood radical. Subsequently, the semantic range extended to encompass vertebrae, a shift possibly influenced by the visual analogy between the hammer's shape and the bony segments of the spinal column, or through a functional metaphor linking the spine's central support to a tool's purpose. In modern language, "椎" principally denotes vertebral structures in anatomical terms, while its older sense as a hammer persists within certain compound words.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我的颈椎很疼。
他伤了腰椎。
医生检查他的脊椎。
颈椎病需要及时治疗。
腰椎手术风险较高。
椎间盘突出很常见。
脊椎动物都有椎骨。
老年人容易患骨质疏松症，影响椎骨。