肿

• Pinyin: zhǒng
• Hanzi breakdown: 肿 = 月 (flesh/body radical) + 中 (phonetic, simplified from 重)

Meaning

To swell; to become swollen; swelling.

Describes the physical condition of body parts becoming enlarged due to injury, infection, inflammation, or fluid retention. Common in medical contexts and everyday descriptions of injuries. Often used with body part + 肿了.

Examples

1. 他的眼睛哭肿了，看起来特别憔悴。 His eyes were swollen from crying, and he looked especially haggard.
2. 脚踝扭伤后肿得很厉害，走路都困难。 After spraining my ankle, it swelled up badly, making it difficult to walk.
3. 医生说这种过敏反应可能导致喉咙肿胀，要特别小心。 The doctor said this allergic reaction could cause throat swelling, so be especially careful.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, daily life, injuries

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我的手被蜜蜂蜇了，肿了一大块。(My hand got stung by a bee and swelled up a lot.)
• 先冰敷一下，可以消肿。(Apply ice first to reduce the swelling.)

Don't Say

• 这个苹果肿了。(Incorrect — 肿 is for body parts, not fruits; for overripe fruit, say 烂了)

Origin & History

A phono-semantic compound with 月 (flesh/body radical) and 重 (heavy) as the phonetic component. The flesh radical indicates the meaning relates to the body.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal