Definitions

cháng (noun) intestine; bowel

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character for intestines, traditionally written as "腸" and in simplified form as "肠", is structured as a phono-semantic compound where the left component "月", a variant of the "肉" radical, signifies its relation to flesh or internal organs, while the right component "昜" in the traditional form acts as a phonetic indicator, which in the simplified version is reduced to "𠃓". Etymologically, the character has consistently referred to the intestines, with its usage extending into compound words to describe broader digestive system concepts such as in "肠胃". The orthographic simplification from "昜" to "𠃓" altered the phonetic element but kept the semantic association with the body intact.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢吃香

Wǒ xǐhuān chī xiāngcháng.

I like eating sausage.

是肉做的。

Xiāngcháng shì ròu zuò de.

Sausage is made of meat.

胃不舒服。

Tā chángwèi bù shūfu.

He has an upset stomach.

道健康很重要。

Chángdào jiànkāng hěn zhòngyào.

Intestinal health is important.

医生检查了他的道。

Yīshēng jiǎnchá le tā de chángdào.

The doctor examined his intestines.

这种食物容易伤胃。

Zhè zhǒng shíwù róngyì shāng chángwèi.

This kind of food easily hurts the stomach.

她因为炎住院了。

Tā yīnwèi chángyán zhùyuàn le.

She was hospitalized due to enteritis.

微生物在道中发挥作用。

Wēishēngwù zài chángdào zhōng fāhuī zuòyòng.

Microorganisms play a role in the intestines.