骨

gū, gǔ

⑤ + 月

Definitions

gǔ (noun) bone

Etymology

Pictograph of a bone (冎) with a muscle (肉) attached to it.

About

骨 is a pictograph that combines a bone (冎) with flesh (肉, in its variant form 月) attached to it, illustrating a bone still connected to flesh. This composition gives the primary meaning of a bone, or the skeletal structure of a body. Figuratively, it describes a person's unyielding spirit, moral backbone, or the essential framework of a literary work or physical object.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

汤里有骨头。

Tāng lǐ yǒu gǔtou.

There are bones in the soup.

这只狗啃骨头。

Zhè zhī gǒu kěn gǔtou.

This dog chews on bones.

他的手臂骨折了。

Tā de shǒubì gǔzhé le.

His arm is fractured.

骨骼支撑着身体。

Gǔgé zhīchēng zhe shēntǐ.

The skeleton supports the body.

模特都很骨感。

Mótè dōu hěn gǔgǎn.

Models are all very slim.

他是公司的骨干。

Tā shì gōngsī de gǔgàn.

He is the backbone of the company.

她是个有骨气的人。

Tā shì gè yǒu gǔqì de rén.

She is a person with integrity.

他骨子里很善良。

Tā gǔzǐ lǐ hěn shànliáng.

He is inherently kind-hearted.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: ⑤

Component: 月

骨