How to Write 膊 (bó) — Meaning “arm / shoulder”

Imagine a person flexing their arm (月) while holding a bow (尃) — the sound 'bó' is like 'bow.' This links the body part to the action of shooting a bow.

The left side 月 should be narrow and vertical, while the right side 尃 is wider. A common mistake is making the two sides uneven or forgetting the dot at the end of 尃, so remember it has 14 strokes in total.

膊 has the flesh radical 月 and the right part 尃, while 朝 has the moon radical on the left or right? Actually 朝 uses 月 on the left but different right part? 朝 means 'dynasty' or 'facing,' and 期 means 'period.' 膊 is always about the body, and its right side 尃 is unique — 期 has 其 on the right.

膊 appears in common words like 胳膊 (arm) and 赤膊 (shirtless). 赤膊 is often used to describe working in hot weather without a shirt, showing physical labor or casualness.

Common words containing 膊 include: 胳膊 (gē bó) — arm; 赤膊 (chì bó) — Bare-chested / Shirtless; 胳膊肘 (gē bó zhǒu) — elbow.