膀

髈

bǎng, bàng, pāng, páng

旁 + 月

Definitions

bǎng (noun) upper arm; wing

páng (noun) bladder

pāng (adjective) swollen

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 旁 represents the sound.

About

The character 膀 follows a phono-semantic structure: the flesh radical 月 on the left indicates its connection to anatomical features, while the right side 旁 serves as the phonetic component. This character has different pronunciations corresponding to distinct anatomical meanings. Pronounced bǎng, it refers to the upper arm or shoulder region. When pronounced páng, it combines with other characters to form the term for urinary bladder, illustrating how the same flesh radical paired with a phonetic element can denote different bodily structures based on pronunciation.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的肩膀很疼。

Wǒ de jiānbǎng hěn téng.

My shoulder hurts.

他摔伤了胳膊和肩膀。

Tā shuāishāng le gēbo hé jiānbǎng.

He injured his arm and shoulder.

小鸟的翅膀受伤了。

Xiǎo niǎo de chìbǎng shòushāng le.

The little bird's wing is injured.

运动员有宽阔的肩膀。

Yùndòngyuán yǒu kuānkuò de jiānbǎng.

The athlete has broad shoulders.

她轻轻地拍了一下我的肩膀。

Tā qīngqīng de pāi le yīxià wǒ de jiānbǎng.

She gently patted my shoulder.

蝴蝶的翅膀在阳光下闪闪发光。

Húdié de chìbǎng zài yángguāng xià shǎnshǎn fāguāng.

The butterfly's wings glitter in the sunlight.

经过锻炼，他的膀子变得更有力了。

Jīngguò duànliàn, tā de bǎngzi biàn de gèng yǒulì le.

After exercise, his arms became stronger.

医生检查了他的肩膀，发现没有骨折。

Yīshēng jiǎnchá le tā de jiānbǎng, fāxiàn méiyǒu gǔzhé.

The doctor examined his shoulder and found no fracture.

Related Characters

Component: 旁

Component: 月

膀