HanziGuru.膊 · bó
膊
bó[bo2]Tone 2

shoulder, upper arm

HSK 7
Guru Deep Dive

English · shoulder, upper arm

Cached lesson
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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:13
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the flesh radical (月) on the left narrow and compact, leaving ample space for the right phonetic component (傅 without the person radical, or rather 甫). Ensure vertical alignment is balanced.
1. Meaning

shoulder

upper arm
NounNeutralBound morpheme#anatomy#body parts
Sample Usage
  • 胳膊
    gēbo
    arm
  • 赤膊
    chìbó
    bare-backed, shirtless
2. Sound
/[pwo³⁵]/Tone: 35
膊
bóbo2
++
´(35)
=bó
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
bo
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
b
Type: Unaspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: b sound as in boy
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. A tissue in front of lips should stay still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Both lips pressed together lightly before releasing softly.
Final Rhyme
o
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with aw / or sound
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'aw'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts mid and rises sharply to the top, exactly like the English questioning inflection 'What?'
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse it with the aspirated 'p' sound or a falling tone.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand gesture starting from chest level and lifting upward into the air, mirroring an inquiring question in English.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the flesh radical (月) on the left narrow and compact, leaving ample space for the right phonetic component (傅 without the person radical, or rather 甫). Ensure vertical alignment is balanced.

4. Components

Radical 月 · Flesh radical (meat, body parts) (flesh, body part)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 月 (indicates body parts or flesh)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 甫 (original sound: fǔ / bó)

The flesh radical (月) on the left combines with the phonetic element 甫 on the right to represent a major muscular body part: the shoulder and upper arm.

  • 月 flesh/body part
  • 甫 phonetic clue
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 月 (flesh) to show anatomical connection and 甫 to give the pronunciation.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred specifically to the upper arm and shoulder area, maintaining this anatomical definition into modern Mandarin.

  • The flesh radical is written as 月 (meat/flesh variant) when positioned on the left side of Chinese characters.
6. Sinosphere
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine carrying a heavy basket of meat (月) on your *shoulder* (bó) while walking down a path guided by a wooden post (甫).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
尃
fūto state to, to announcePhonetic Core (声旁)
博
bóold variant of 博[bo2]+ 十 (ten)
搏
bóto fight; to combat+ 扌 (hand)
缚
fùto bind; to tie+ 纟 (silk)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
博(bó)
博 has the ten radical (十) and water/right elements, meaning vast, whereas 膊 has the flesh radical (月) for body parts.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
他走路时受了伤，[___]子疼得厉害。
Clue: bó
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the left flesh radical (月) with the moon radical or miswriting the right phonetic component 甫.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 膊 mean and how is it pronounced with tone?
Production: How do you write the character for shoulder/upper arm (bó)?
Real-World Video Context

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

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