Chinese Conversation · Level 19
90 words
Chinese word
脚掌
Pronunciation
Pinyinjiǎo zhǎng
Meaning
- nounsole
Example
昨天跑步后，我的脚掌很疼。zuó tiān pǎo bù hòu wǒ de jiáo zhǎng hěn téng
After running yesterday, the soles of my feet hurt a lot.
More examples
他穿新鞋后，脚掌起了水泡。tā chuān xīn xié hòu jiáo zhǎng qǐ le shuǐ pào
After he put on new shoes, a blister formed on the sole of his foot.
Core concept
The ground-facing surface under a human foot or animal paw, where weight is carried and contact is made.
Common phrases
脚掌疼jiáo zhǎng téng
sole hurts
脚掌起泡jiáo zhǎng qǐ pào
sole develops a blister
脚掌发麻jiáo zhǎng fā má
sole goes numb
Similar words
脚底jiáo dǐ: The entire underside of the foot in common daily speech.
足底zú dǐ: The underside of the foot in medical or explanatory descriptions.
脚跟jiǎo gēn: The heel, located at the back of the underside of the foot.
Definition in Chinese
位于足底的表面部分，常指人体的足底或动物的肉垫，承担接触和支撑功能。wèi yú zú dǐ de biǎo miàn bù fèn cháng zhǐ rén tǐ de zú dǐ huò dòng wù de ròu diàn chéng dān jiē chù hé zhī chēng gōng néng
Word origin
脚掌 (jiǎozhǎng, "sole") combines 脚 (jiǎo, "foot") + 掌 (zhǎng, "palm"), using the palm's flat contact surface as a model for the matching surface under the foot.
Usage tips
- English uses sole for both a foot surface and the bottom of a shoe, but Chinese keeps those contexts distinct, so the English word does not make this noun suitable for footwear by itself.