How to Write 膑 (bìn) — Meaning “kneecap / patella”

Imagine a "bin" (宾) full of bones, and the moon (月, representing flesh) covering your knee. This combines the sound "bin" with the meaning of a body part to recall it as the kneecap.

The left radical 月 (4 strokes) is written first, then the right part 宾 (10 strokes). Be careful not to confuse the top of 宾 with 宀; it is actually 宀 with a horizontal stroke below, and the bottom is 贝, not 见. Common mistake is mixing up the order of the bottom two strokes in 宾.

膑 includes the flesh radical 月 but not as a time or direction component; 朝 and 期 both contain 月 related to the moon or time. Visually, 朝 has 十早 on the left and 月 on the right, while 期 has 其 on the left and 月 on the right, so the right side differs from 膑's 宾.

Today 膑 appears mainly in historical or medical contexts, such as the famous strategist 孙膑 (Sun Bin), whose name recalls the punishment 膑刑 (removal of kneecaps). It is a rare character not in everyday vocabulary, but important for understanding ancient Chinese punishment and history.

Common words containing 膑 include: 孙膑 (sūn bìn) — Sun Bin (an ancient military strategist); 膑刑 (bìn xíng) — removal of the kneecaps (ancient punishment); 膑骨 (bìn gǔ) — kneecap / patella.