Definitions

pāo bladder

Etymology phono-semantic

flesh

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character is a phono-semantic compound that primarily denotes the urinary bladder, especially of an animal, or a soft, spongy, or puffy texture. Its structure combines the semantic radical ('flesh', derived from ) on the left, classifying it among body parts and organs, with the phonetic on the right, giving the pronunciation pāo. In modern Chinese, it is found mostly in regional dialects and in compounds like 尿脬 (urinary bladder), and occasionally serves as a measure word for urine or excrement.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern