Meaning of 肩
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- shoulder
- to shoulder (responsibilities etc)
How to use 肩
In everyday speech people usually say 肩膀 (jiānbǎng) for the body part, while 肩 alone appears in set phrases and more formal writing. It also means to carry a duty, as in 肩负 (jiānfù). Example: 我的肩膀很疼。(Wǒ de jiānbǎng hěn téng.) My shoulder hurts.
The bottom of 肩 (jiān) is 月, a form used for body parts and flesh, like in 胳 and 腿. The top part looks like a small roof or door frame, so picture the flat, wide part of the body that sits on top like a ledge: your shoulder.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top of 肩 as 户 with the wrong first stroke or confuse the whole character with 屑 (xiè) or 扇 (shàn), which share a similar top. Also remember the tone is first tone, jiān, not jiǎn.
肩 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
肩 jiān · shoulder · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 肩.
| 肩膀 | jiānbǎng | shoulder |
| 肩负 | jiānfù | to shoulder (a burden); to bear |
| 并肩作战 | bìngjiānzuòzhàn | (idiom) to fight side by side; (by extension) to join forces |
| 披肩 | pījiān | cape; shawl |
| 并肩 | bìngjiān | alongside; shoulder to shoulder |
| 擦肩而过 | cājiān'érguò | to brush past; to pass by (sb); (fig.) to miss (an opportunity, a danger etc); to have a b |
| 肩并肩 | jiānbìngjiān | shoulder to shoulder; abreast; side by side |
| 肩部 | jiānbù | shoulder; shoulder area |
Questions about 肩
What does 肩 mean?
肩 (jiān) means "shoulder; to shoulder (responsibilities etc)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 肩?
肩 is made of 1 character: 肩 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 肩 an HSK word?
Yes. 肩 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 肩 and 肩膀?
Both mean shoulder. 肩膀 is the normal spoken word, while 肩 is used in compounds and idioms like 并肩 (bìngjiān) and 擦肩而过 (cājiān'érguò).
What does 擦肩而过 mean in daily use?
Literally it means to brush shoulders as you pass someone. It is often used figuratively for narrowly missing a chance or a danger, as in 和冠军擦肩而过 (hé guànjūn cājiān'érguò), to just miss winning the title.