腰

• Pinyin: yāo
• Hanzi breakdown: 腰 = 月/肉 (flesh/body radical) + 要 (phonetic component, which originally depicted the waist)

Meaning

Waist; lower back. The part of the body between the ribs and the hips.

Used to refer to both the front waist and the lower back (腰背). Common in medical contexts (腰疼 — lower back pain) and descriptions of body shape (细腰 — slender waist). Also used metaphorically in phrases like 腰包鼓了 (one's wallet is fattened — i.e., to become wealthy).

Examples

1. 他搬重物时用力不当，把腰扭伤了。 He strained his lower back by using improper force while moving heavy objects.
2. 长时间坐在办公室里工作，对腰的伤害很大。 Sitting in the office for long periods is very damaging to the lower back.
3. 舞蹈演员的腰非常柔软，动作十分优美。 Dancers have very flexible waists, and their movements are extremely graceful.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, health, body

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我最近腰有点疼，可能是坐姿不对。(My lower back has been hurting lately — it might be because of bad posture.)
• 做腰部拉伸练习可以缓解久坐带来的不适。(Doing waist-stretching exercises can relieve discomfort caused by prolonged sitting.)

Don't Say

• 把'腰'用于指上背部或颈部 (Don't use 腰 for the upper back or neck — 腰 refers specifically to the lower back and waist area)

Origin & History

The character 腰 is composed of 月/肉 (flesh/body radical) and 要 (phonetic component, which also originally meant waist). Both components reinforce the physical meaning.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal