swollen, bloated, expanded
inflatebulge out
Adjective / VerbNeutralBound morpheme#physical state#size#medical
Sample Usage
膨胀
péngzhàng
to expand, to swell
膨化
pénghuà
to puff (food)
膨
péngpeng2
|++´(35)
=péng Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "e" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Say it like:“p-uhng”Close approximationTone pitch cue:rising, like the end of a question
Key difference: Mandarin p is heavily aspirated [pʰ] followed by nasal schwa [əŋ].
Type: Aspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: p sound
Airflow Tactile Test: Strong puff of air! A tissue held before lips MUST fly forward.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Both lips pressed together firmly, then parted with a burst of breath.
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: -eng rhymes with rung/ung
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uhng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises like a questioning English sentence (e.g., 'What?').
👂Listening trap: Confusing the initial 'p' with 'b' (which is unaspirated). Ensure you breathe out enough air.
👋Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand sweep starting mid-chest and moving up to the ceiling, mimicking an elevator going up.
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 16 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (月) is narrower and slightly taller, while the right side (彭) provides the broader balancing weight.
Radical 月 · Meat/Moon Radical (flesh variant) (body parts, flesh, meat)
Semantic Clue (形旁): 月 (indicates flesh or bodily swelling)
Phonetic Clue (声旁): 彭 (original sound: péng)
The flesh radical (月) on the left combines with the sound-giving component 彭 (péng) on the right to signify flesh that has swollen or puffed up.
- 月 flesh / body part
- 彭 phonetic clue for péng
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the flesh/body radical (月) indicating physical swelling and 彭 (péng) providing the sound of expansion or drumming noise.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to drum sounds or large appearances, later specialized to describe swollen or expanded flesh and matter.
- Often used in modern scientific and industrial terms for expansion and inflation.
🇻🇳Sino-Vietnamese
bành
Mandarin tone 2 corresponds roughly to a rising or level tone adaptation in Sino-Vietnamese.
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Your FLESH (月) starts POUNDING (péng) and puffing up until you are completely SWOLLEN like a balloon.
彭péngsurname PengPhonetic Core (声旁)
嘭pēng(onom.) bang+ 口 (mouth)
澎péngused in 澎湃[peng2 pai4]; Taiwan pr. [peng1]+ 氵 (water)
甏bènga squat jar for holding wine, sauces etc+ 瓦 (tile)
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
朋(péng)
朋 means friend (two moons side by side), whereas 膨 has the flesh/meat radical for swelling.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge 吃完太咸的东西，第二天眼睛容易[___]胀。
Clue: péng
Common Learner PitfallConfusing the meat radical (月) with the moon radical, or writing the complex right-hand side incorrectly by mixing up stroke orders.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 膨 with the flesh radical and 'péng' sound, what physical condition does it evoke?
Production: How do you write the character for 'swollen' (péng) using the meat radical and phonetic part?
Speed: Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...