HanziGuru.胀 · zhàng
胀
zhàng[zhang4]Tone 4

to swell

HSK 7
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脹
Guru Deep Dive

English · to swell

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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:9
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (月 flesh/meat) should be narrower and slightly compressed, leaving ample room for the right phonetic component (长 long), ensuring the character doesn't tilt.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 脹 uses 長 as the phonetic, which is retained in the simplified form 胀, while the flesh radical 月 remains standard on the left.
1. Meaning

to swell, to distend, to expand

swollenbloatedfeel a feeling of fullness or distension
Verb / AdjectiveNeutral#body sensations#physical state#size changes
Sample Usage
  • 吃得太饱，胃里发胀。
    chī de tài bǎo, wèi lǐ fā zhàng.
    Eating too much makes the stomach feel bloated and distended.
  • 气球吹得很大，快要胀破了。
    qìqiú chuī de hěn dà, kuài yào zhàng pò le.
    The balloon is blown up very big and is about to burst from expansion.
2. Sound
/[tʂaŋ⁵¹]/Tone: 51
胀
zhàngzhang4
++
`(51)
=zhàng
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
zhang
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
zh
Type: Unaspirated Retroflex
Sounds like: j/dr retroflex sound
UnaspiratedRetroflex
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. Tongue curled up. Tissue stays still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate
Final Rhyme
ang
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -ang rhymes with 'bang' / 'gang'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom of your vocal range, identical to an angry command in English like 'No!' or 'Down!'
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex initial 'zh-' with the alveolar-palatal 'j-' or retroflex 'ch-' (which is strongly aspirated).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 4 is a sharp, authoritative nod downward, like shouting 'Stop!' or slamming a door.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (月 flesh/meat) should be narrower and slightly compressed, leaving ample room for the right phonetic component (长 long), ensuring the character doesn't tilt.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 脹 uses 長 as the phonetic, which is retained in the simplified form 胀, while the flesh radical 月 remains standard on the left.

4. Components

Radical 月 · Meat / Flesh Radical (when on left, often written as 月 representing 肉) (flesh, body parts, organs)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 月 (Indicates bodily flesh, organs, or physical swelling of tissue.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 长 (original sound: zhǎng / zhàng)

Flesh/body (月) grows or stretches out long and big (长), causing it to swell or become bloated (胀).

  • 月 Flesh / body part
  • 长 Long / growing
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 月 (flesh/body) providing the semantic domain of bodily conditions and 长 (long/extend) providing the phonetic clue and the core idea of stretching or growing beyond normal bounds.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred specifically to bodily distension or swelling, later extended to general expansion, inflation, and bloating of objects or feelings.

  • The meat radical 月 on the left historically morphed from the character for meat (肉), appearing as 'flesh' in hundreds of body and medical kanji/hanzi.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: チョウ (chō) / Kun: ふくらむ (fukaramu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
창
Sound Shift Bridge: Mandarin retroflex initial 'zh-' frequently corresponds to historical dental/palatal affricates in borrowed Sino-Xenic readings (like 'chō' in Japanese).
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Your body's flesh (月) keeps growing longer and bigger (长) until it starts to swell and feel completely bloated (胀).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
长
chánglongPhonetic Core (声旁)
张
zhāngto open up, spread, sheet of paper, classifier for flat objects+ 弓 (bow)
账
zhàngaccount, bill, debt+ 贝 (shell)
帐
zhàngcurtain, tent, canopy+ 巾 (cloth)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
涨(zhǎng)
涨 uses water (氵) because it refers to water levels rising or prices surging, whereas 胀 uses flesh (月) because it refers to bodily swelling.
张(zhāng)
张 uses bow (弓) for stretching bows or sheets of paper, while 胀 uses flesh (月) for bloated body parts.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
吃得太多，我的肚子觉得很[___]。
Clue: zhàng
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 胀 (zhàng - swollen/bloated body/inflation) with 涨 (zhǎng - rising water or prices), missing that the left radical changes the fundamental category from flesh to water.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 胀 with the flesh radical 月 and phonetic 长, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the character for 'swollen or bloated' (zhàng) using the flesh radical and the 'long' phonetic component?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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